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Episode Transcript

Hanged Versus Hung
Episode 34: December 31, 2006

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Grammar Girl here.

I know I promised that the next episode would be about apostrophes, but Zach wrote in with a grammar emergency tied to the execution of Saddam Hussein. I'm sure we all realize there are more important aspects to this story than reporters fouling up their language, but still, in Grammar Girl Land, we like to work these things out. So today's topic is hung versus hanged.

Zach said he was taught that curtains are hung and people are hanged, and he is correct. It's not quite that cut-and-dried*—some of my reference books say hung isn't wrong, just less customary, when referring to past executions, and the Random House Unabridged Dictionary says that hung is becoming more common—but the majority of my books agree that the standard English word is hanged when you are talking about killing people by dangling them from a rope. Therefore, it's correct to say that Saddam Hussein was hanged in Baghdad on Saturday, December 30, 2006.

It seemed a little curious to me that there would be two past-tense forms of the word hang that differ depending on their meaning, so I did a little research and found out that in Old English there were two different words for hang (hon and hangen), and the entanglement of these words (plus an Old Norse word hengjan) is responsible for there being two past-tense forms of the word hang today (1).

That's all. You can find the Grammar Girl website at QuickAndDirtyTips.com and send questions and comments to feedback@quickanddirtytips.com or by calling 206-338-GIRL (4475). Thanks for listening.

Reference

1. Burchfield, R. W., ed. The New Fowler's Modern English Usage. Third edition. New York: Oxford, 1996, p. 349.

* This is an idiom that refers to the practice of cutting wood and letting it dry out thoroughly before using it in a fire, according to the Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins. (Web reference)

Comments (59) for Hanged Versus Hung | Subscribe to Comment

Darrell Says:
11/13/2007 9:24:34 AM

OK, so what about "lighted" vs. "lit"? I've always thought you "lighted" a cigarette or a torch, but a room was brightly lit. But I see "brightly lighted" all the time nowadays. ???

Grammar Girl Says:
8/18/2007 6:09:53 PM

"Pled," "plead," and "pleaded" are all acceptable, but many people prefer "pleaded."

Garner's Modern English Usage states that "pleaded" is the common form in Britain, and "pled" is considered an Americanism. He notes that many commentators (on both sides of the pond) look down on anything other than "pleaded."

So to be safe, you should say, "I have pleaded guilty," unless you are innocent.

Sarah Says:
8/18/2007 4:28:55 PM

What is the correct past perfect continuous form of the verb "to plead"? Should I say "have plead guilty" or "have pled guilty," or "have pleaded guilty"? Or, is any choice correct?

aardvark Says:
8/9/2007 12:02:18 AM

Hi Adam,

If you divide a whole ant into two pieces, you will have two halves of the ant. Each of those halves is called a half.

Half is singular and halves is plural.

So, on your blueprint, you can mark your work as the top half and the bottom half. Both of those halves go to make a whole blueprint.

Hope this helps.

aardvark Says:
8/9/2007 12:02:18 AM

adamflores Says:
8/8/2007 4:42:12 PM

Please help me. I need to know when to use half vs. halve.

At work I created a blueprint of some tooling. The tooling is a large piece of steel cut down the center to make a top and bottom die. In my notes on the blueprint I mentioned the bottom halve. It was marked up by my superiors as incorrect, but they weren't able to tell me why.

please help.

Sandy Says:
8/7/2007 8:02:15 PM

When writing in the United States, commas and periods go inside the end quotation mark. Elsewhere (Europe, South America, Australia, etc.) commas and periods go outside the end quotation mark.

John Says:
6/19/2007 1:16:18 PM

http://www.bartleby.com/61/68/P0366800.html

plead VERB: Inflected forms: plead·ed or pled -----

marla Says:
6/18/2007 11:16:55 AM

is it correct to say pleaded? i read it in the paper pleaded guilty..i thought past tense was pled? never see it used any more but pled seems more correct

John Says:
6/5/2007 7:44:34 PM

AIUI either "pleaded" or "pled" is an acceptable past tense of "plead".

Nadine Says:
6/5/2007 7:40:28 PM

Hi, I was wondering if this lesson might be extended to include the difference between 'pled' and 'pleaded'? Sorry if this sounds dense!!!

John Says:
5/8/2007 3:23:52 PM

"real hot", "drive safe"

English has two kinds of adverbs: those that end in "ly" and those that don't. The latter are called flat adverbs. English has had flat adverbs for a thousand years. For example: "drive fast," "go slow," "the moon is shining bright," "she turned me down flat."

Flat adverbs used to be much more common than they are now. These examples would not be used nowadays:

I was horrid angry, and would not go - Samuel Pepys, 1667

the weather was so violent hot - Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

the five ladies were monstrous fine - Jonathan Swift, 1712

eef Says:
5/8/2007 3:08:31 PM

was taught that if "to" could be replaced by "also" and still have the correct meaning then it was proper to use "too."

For example:

"Jim wants to go too."

-eef

Seemore Butts Says:
4/16/2007 7:40:43 PM

Well english suc and i thank i needed sum help

Ed Says:
3/27/2007 7:31:09 PM

I have a question my husband and I were arguing about the word "woods vs wood". I thought wood is already plural so "woods is not a word. I'm I correct, please help us!

Cindy Says:
3/26/2007 6:38:46 PM

The example that drives me crazy is when people leave the "ly" off of words...it is "real" hot out...drive "safe"...please guide people on this one.

Squiggly Says:
3/6/2007 3:25:36 PM

I have to confess, I found my own answer troublesome.

The other night, I was up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night. I went outside for a bit and it was chilly. Wanting to get snuggly, I crawled back into bed. Then it struck me--I got in bed! I was “in” the bed as the whole of the bed is concerned. Not in the John Gotti sort of way, but in the way that the mattress and the beddings all make up the bed and I was in it.

So, I’m resubmitting the answer because I was in bed, just as I might have been in the sand.

Kyle Says:
3/6/2007 1:30:42 PM

I remember reading (somewhere) that 'hanged' was the accepted form of the past tense of hang in 18th century England (or thereabouts). As a common form of legal punishment, it was referred to daily in the courts, and like many things in the law (barristers and judges gowns, for example) the word ossified such that it is now only retained when referring to hanging a person in the past tense.

Squiggly Says:
3/2/2007 6:01:36 PM

In my Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, the first definition of “in” is “contained or enclosed by, inside; within,” and the first definition of “on” is “in a position above, but in contact and supported by; placed on or lying in contact with.”

So, you would be “on the bed,” or “on the chair.” Whether you are “in” the sand or “on” the sand depends on what you’re doing. If you’re lying on top of the sand, then “on the sand” would be correct. However, if you are buried to your neck in sand, than “in the sand” might be just right.

Grammar Girl Says:
3/1/2007 5:33:19 AM

I'm not sure what books to recommend, but it can certainly help to listen to the podcasts and follow along with the written transcripts. Although I can't recommend technology, you may be able to find a way to play them at half speed. Another good podcast with free transcripts is Matt's Today in History.

Susan Nanni Says:
2/28/2007 8:10:26 PM

Please contact me at snanni@qwest.net to speak with you about presenting at a workshop/conference for educational office employees date to be determined but we are looking at 9/15/07. Thank you

Shanmugam Says:
2/28/2007 4:44:29 PM

I am so scared about my english grammar if i want to get a job in call centre english is a primary language.i request to give me a suggestion and i need the books for growing up the language at free of cost.

Mabel Leo Says:
2/28/2007 4:01:59 PM

Which is correct - "I am on the bed." or "I am in bed." Also "I am in the chair." or "I am on the chair." Do you write "in" the sand or "on" the sand?

Ramsy Says:
2/28/2007 1:17:05 AM

Brian: Instead of blaming her, just take only the positive things she trying to contribute. Check you own life and list your flaws and then look at her service. Finding original thinkers is almost impossible but people like you who cannot contribute to the society constructively take a high road " I know what is best for the world". Come down from your critical, self centered, hypocritical abuses

Frank Says:
2/26/2007 8:05:24 PM

Will you cover the use of quotes at the end of a sentence. Doesn't the punctuation go inside? For example: I like to watch "Jeopardy." Maybe not the best example, but you get the point.

Lety Says:
2/26/2007 3:51:32 PM

Dear GG:

I learned many moons ago to say:

I appreciate your stopping by to see me.

What I hear most of the time is:

I appreciate you stopping by to see me.

Have you addressed this in the past? My take is that you appreciate the fact that someone has stopped by to see you, not that you appreciate them in general. In other words, you are referring to that specific incident. This fact seems to be lost on some and I'm wondering what you think...

Amy Rizzo Says:
2/25/2007 7:42:06 PM

I haven't heard an episode yet about the distinction between to and too. Have you covered that yet? I noticed that someone even made the error in a comment to you, above. :)

I really enjoy your podcast. I have passed it along to many people.

Thanks!

Amy

Kaitlyn Says:
1/25/2007 2:20:07 AM

Grammar Girl, Curtains are hung, and people are hagged. I have never heard of that before. It will be a definite help. There are way to many exceptions in grammar. It's ridiculous! Thanks for the trick! Kaitlyn

Brian Says:
1/24/2007 1:58:22 AM

I would rather not have a header and trailer theme song because I already know what the podcast is a grammer girl podcast. The thing I dislike the most is the loud "door slam" at the end, I fear it will damage my speakers. I greatly appreciate your program. Thank you.

Nate F Says:
1/23/2007 4:14:44 PM

"Elder" is the old i-mutated comparative form of the adjective "old". Sounds a bit archaic now as an adjective, but can still be used substantively as "elder" meaning "an older, influential member of a family, tribe, or community".

Kerry Mitchell Says:
1/23/2007 3:39:31 PM

I say theme song or not, this is an excellent approach to amending the issue of grammar for those of us who are far too used to using the grammar check on the computer. Thank you.

Daniel Says:
1/23/2007 1:03:36 AM

I don't think it's strictly an issue of whether or not the verb is transitive. If you hang a picture on the wall (a transitive meaning), and describe the act in the passive voice, you'd say the picture was 'hung' on the wall, not 'hanged' on the wall. But you're right that the intransitive meaning of 'to hang' always uses 'hung' and not 'hanged'.

As a side note, the verb 'to bear' has a similar double set of forms, depending on whether you mean 'to carry, to endure' (it's 'borne') or 'to bear in womb, give birth to' (it's 'born' without the 'e'). Does anyone happen to know why this might be?

Thanks.

Bobby Says:
1/23/2007 12:14:29 AM

I really enjoyed this podcast on a current issue and the grammar surrounding it! My english teacher has us listen to your podcasts about once a month and i really enjoy them!!! keep up the good work.

Shawn Says:
1/19/2007 4:33:52 AM

I agree with Mike, the theme song should not be changed. The short theme lets me know Grammar Girl's coming up next. I truly anticipate it. Love the Podcast, it's the first one I started listening to regularly.

John Says:
1/9/2007 2:02:14 PM

According to Merriam-Webster’s Concise Dictionary of English Usage, it has nothing to do with transitive vs intransitive. Some people think that "hanged" should be used when referring to people. However, must people use "hung" instead.

Rion Gull Says:
1/9/2007 7:38:10 AM

Grammar Girl, I was always under the impression that hung vs. hanged was an intransitive/transitive verb issue so that one would say, for example "After Saddam was hanged he hung for several minutes" (i.e. the hanged part requires a direct object but hung does not). Could you (or some other reader) clarify? Also, I think that many of the grammar girl theme song haters dislike it because simply because of the repetition, not that it's crummy music. Any theme you use will be subject to this. I do agree with the other comment however about the crash at the end. You could easily shave off about 10dB and still get the rip-roaring effect.

Tina Weinraub Says:
1/6/2007 2:14:14 PM

I am a school librarian and I love your show. The theme music is wonderful and I voted for you not to change it. As they said back in the day, "Keep keepin' on".

JP Says:
1/5/2007 6:40:03 PM

Your podcast is one of my favorites. I was wondering if you have ever thought of making a quick and dirty style guide based on your show notes. Something slim and concise like the Elements of Style. I know that I would buy it. :)

I hope that you keep doing this, it is a great podcast.

John Says:
1/5/2007 3:23:39 PM

From Merriam-Webster’s Concise Dictionary of English Usage:

“Many commentators recognize that hung for hanged is now common in standard English, but more than few persist in describing it as an error, pure and simple.

Our evidence shows that hung for hanged is certainy not an error. Educated speakers and writers use it commonly and have for many years:

…soldiers convicted of appalling crimes are being hung and shot - Times Literary Supplement, 29 Nov. 1941

…insists that IRA terrorists can be hung by the law now - Noyes Thomas, News of the World (London), 24 Nov. 1974

[…]

And E. Bagby Atwood’s A Survey of Verb Forms in the Eastern United States (1953) found that in speech 'hung… predominates in all areas and among all types [of informants considered with respect to age and level of education].'

The distinction between hanged and hung is not an especially useful one. It is, however, a simple one and certainly easy to remember. Therein lies its popularity. If you make a point of observing the distinction in your writing, you will not thereby become a better writer, but you will spare yourself the annoyance of being corrected for having done something that is not wrong.”

Grammar Girl Says:
1/5/2007 6:37:32 AM

Would it help if I lower the volume a little bit on the crash sound?

Grammar Girl Says:
1/5/2007 6:26:27 AM

Very clever. I do see how people could find the music annoying without wanting me to be a stuffy grammar maven, but you brought a big smile to my face.

Rich B Says:
1/5/2007 6:21:34 AM

The opening music is fine. But the crashing ending is pretty annoying when listening on my iPod in my Jeep. I have it turned up pretty loud to hear over the road noise. The crash ending song isn't the best.

bubba Says:
1/5/2007 6:09:19 AM

cheers to that idea mike. I agree

Grammar Girl Says:
1/5/2007 2:34:53 AM

Absolutely!

Sally Says:
1/5/2007 1:14:23 AM

Thanks Grammar Girl for increasing my awareness of the hung versus hanged issue. I hadn't learned that rule in grade school and am glad to know it. The only difficulty now is listening to My Fair Lady and cringing when Prof. Henry Higgins says, referring to a Eliza, "She ought to be taken out and hung for the cold blooded murder of the English tongue." Shouldn't she be hanged?

Brian in Washington Says:
1/4/2007 1:04:45 PM

Dear Miss Grammar Girl: Shame on you for your choice of rap and/or hip hop as theme music! Your pod cast is reportedly listened to by teenagers, and this music gets them in a state of excitation before your lesson. Perhaps I'm a stalwart for the old ways, but wouldn't your podcast be better served by something more soothing like a "Larghetto" from a Haydn string quartet? You could further swap out that sassy picture of you with one in which your hair is respectably coiled into a tight bun; you could wear a grey suit that connotes your authority, and you could clutch a ruler showing how gravely serious you take the rules of grammar. Please Miss Grammar Girl, while your subject may very well be exciting, let's not get the masses stirred up over it. It might very well lead to dancing. Respectfully, Brian Jones, Washington DC

Pam Says:
1/4/2007 1:11:30 AM

Dear Grammar Girl, I enjoy your podcasts and have shared them with other teachers I know. But the biggest surprise was my 11 year-old son--he thinks you rock! He asked me to share your podcasts with his English teacher! Anyone who can get a 5th grader to take notice of grammar is awesome. By the way, I do like the theme song; I think it's catchy and hip. Maybe it will grow on those who don't like it! Thanks for sharing your grammar expertise!

M Says:
1/3/2007 6:42:19 PM

Thank you having the Grammer Girl podcast! This has been a great resource and learning tool for improving my grammer.

Christine Says:
1/3/2007 5:42:35 PM

I love the theme song!

Christine Says:
1/3/2007 5:21:13 PM

I think your theme music is wonderfully appropriate. When I hear it, it makes me think of the sound of a pen scratching over paper as I write (but in a far more hip and musical way).

Michelle Says:
1/3/2007 5:03:58 PM

Thank you for this episode, I have always wondered about the hanged/hung issue and never really understood it. I will stick with hanged when referring to someone's demise involving a rope and a pulled chair, but it's nice to know that there is a reason for it!

Laurie Says:
1/3/2007 12:59:54 PM

I love the theme music! Coincidentally, I thought that as I started listening to the pod cast in which you asked about the theme song

Vicki Says:
1/3/2007 9:21:25 AM

I'm glad you asked about the theme song. I was actually going to comment about it. I usually listen to several shows back to back. Hearing that song over and over is annoying!!!

Elkin Says:
1/3/2007 1:09:00 AM

I love your pod cast, it's a very creative way of teaching how to use the language. Never change it. Thanks a lot.

John Says:
1/2/2007 11:59:54 PM

Love the Grammar Girl theme music. Very hip and cool. Don't change it!

Grammar Girl Says:
1/1/2007 9:50:06 PM

I'm not sure, and Fowler doesn't have an entry on the origin of "older" versus "elder," but my Webster's dictionary says that "elder" comes from the Old English "ieldra" as a compar. of "eald" for "old."

Kris Says:
1/1/2007 5:12:24 AM

Grammar Girl, We are a group of professional trainers teaching the writing process in schools:grades K through 12. (Did I use that colon correctly?) The name of our program is The Write Tools. I would like to speak to you on the phone regarding our program and an idea that I have in mind. Would you please call me at 303-221-5301 and ask for Kris or send me your phone number at kris@thewritetools.net and I will call you. We will be back to work on Tuesday, January 2, 2007. Thanking you in advance. Kris Sander

T. MacPhee Says:
1/1/2007 3:19:51 AM

OK. I answered your poll and posted a comment. Now I want a book. :) Actually, I have always liked your theme. It serves the valuable purpose of instantly informing me which show has popped up next on my iPod. How can you beat that? On a "slow news day" you might consider playing the whole thing with credits to the writer(s) and performer(s) if it is a composition of that scale. I listen to several podcasts and regular broadcasts that do that, and it makes a show both familiar and unusual at the same time. Happy Hogmanay! Mike

Jirka Says:
12/31/2006 8:42:19 PM

Grammar Girl, I have a question which is somehow connected to this. Why do you have two ways of saying "more old" ->> "Older" and "Elder"?? Does it have similar reason as hanged and hung? Maybe it is stupid question and every English native knows that, but I'm just as an ESL student pretty curious about that. Thanks.