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Anonymous Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
Hanged or hung
Just has a discussion with a Barrister re the use of the words hanged / hung. The sentence I put was: Do you think Saddam H should be hung? His reply was that the use of the word hung in this context was incorrect. He suggested the corrected word to be used is hanged, Do you think Saddam H should be hanged?
My question now is: is the use of the word hung is correct in this context? Any comments appreciated..........
My question now is: is the use of the word hung is correct in this context? Any comments appreciated..........
Top answer
Hanged is still the accepted past tense for executions by noose. Here is the American Heritage Dictionary's comment: 'Hanged, as a past tense and a past participle of hang, is used in the sense of “to put to death by hanging,” as in Frontier courts hanged many a prisoner after a summary trial. A majority of the Usage Panel objects to hung used in this sense.
- Hanged is still the accepted past tense for executions by noose.
- Here is the American Heritage Dictionary's comment: 'Hanged, as a past tense and a past participle of hang, is used in the sense of “to put to death by hanging,” as in Frontier courts hanged many a prisoner after a summary trial.
- A majority of the Usage Panel objects to hung used in this sense.
- ' Their usage panel is composed of a wide range of educated word users-- writers and journalists as well as academicians.
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2 Answers
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Hanged is still the accepted past tense for executions by noose. Here is the American Heritage Dictionary's comment:
'Hanged, as a past tense and a past participle of hang, is used in the sense of “to put to death by hanging,” as in Frontier courts hanged many a prisoner after a summary trial. A majority of the Usage Panel objects to hung used in this sense.
'Hanged, as a past tense and a past participle of hang, is used in the sense of “to put to death by hanging,” as in Frontier courts hanged many a prisoner after a summary trial. A majority of the Usage Panel objects to hung used in this sense.
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Your lawyer is correct in terms of educated/formal usage.
See e.g. this discussion:
http://tinyurl.com/y4bd2h
Robert M. Wilson mentions there:
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Almost all prescriptive books on English usage prefer "hanged" for capital
punishment and "hung" for other uses, but common us
See e.g. this discussion:
http://tinyurl.com/y4bd2h
Robert M. Wilson mentions there:
------------
Almost all prescriptive books on English usage prefer "hanged" for capital
punishment and "hung" for other uses, but common us
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