JadeW

Why are people hanged but pictures hung?

• THERE are two verbs 'to hang:' (1) intransitive, with the irregular past participle 'hung,' derived from the Anglo Saxon hangian, corresponding to the intransitive German hangen, which also has the irregular past participle gehangen. So we say 'I hang on the gibbet' (present) and 'I hung on the gibbet' (past); and (2) transitive, with the regular past participle 'hanged,' derived from the Old Norse hanga, corresponding to the transitive German hangen, which has the regular past participle gehangt. So we say 'I hang you on the gibbet' (present) and 'I hanged you on the gibbet' (past). 'He was hanged' is the passive voice of '(someone) hanged him,' ie, of the transitive verb and is correct. 'He was hung' is wrong but 'He hung (on the gibbet)' is OK. '(The decorations) were hanged on the Christmas tree' is correct but pedantic: '... were hung ...' would sound correct nowadays but is wrong; '... hung . . .' is correct but means something different. Shakespeare put it more simply, but incorrectly: 'Beef, sir, is hung, men are hanged.'

  C J Squire, Twickenham.