Hung vs. hanged

[Guar]

Test No. errors/advan-3 "The audience went wild", question 3

Since the abolition of capital punishment in this country murderers are not hung if they are found guilty.

(a) abolition
(b) capital punishment
(c) hung
(d) guilty

Test No. errors/advan-3 "The audience went wild", answer 3

Since the abolition of capital punishment in this country murderers are not hanged if they are found guilty.

Correct entry: hanged
The error was: (c) hung
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Why is it "he was hanged" and not "he was hung?" When is hung right?

Guar

[Alan]

The simple explanation of which past participle of the verb hang to use is that people are hanged by the neck and pictures are hung on the wall.
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[Mariya]

[Alan]

Simply hanged for people and hung for things.
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[IOtroll]

of the vulgar connoations of someone "being" hung? or because it was something established when the practice of hanging was still common ie: dialect, or period legal clause?

[Alan]

Sorry, can you say again?
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[erthr]

so it's hang for people and hung for animals? Thank you

[Alan]

There are two past forms for this verb:

hung and hanged. The first one simply means something as for example a picture on a wall and the second one means hanged by the neck.
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[vishal]

Hung is used when the thing is hanging contineously for long time.(like a portrait on the wall). We can also say that:-
"The culprit was hanged and this corpse was hung on the tree."

[prezbucky]

or:

The culprit was hanged and his/her/the corpse was hung on the tree.

Unless there's more than one corpse, there's no need to use the modifier "this".
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[nerd]

hi Allan... i remember there are no such irregular/regular verb for hanged.... isnt it suppose to be hang- hung- hung...

[lost_soul]

Hi, Nerd

Alan has stated that
There are two past forms for this verb:

hung and hanged. The first one simply means something as for example a picture on a wall and the second one means hanged by the neck.

It just so happens that to hang in its one meaning is a regular verb and in the other - irregular

[nerd]

ok then i know thanks

[backburner]

Another reason, besides the correctness, not to use "hung" as a verb when referring to people is that it's also a gender-specific vulgar adjective in reference to men. Most men would take it as complimentary, but it's still considered impolite in many circles.