Here's one for all you word wizards. Perhaps I am wrong, but lately I have come across the word "hanged" in a sentence, when I am positive it should be "hung". Perhaps both are correct. For instance: "He hanged himself." "She had hanged herself." Please set my old mind straight! (These were in articles printed by major publishing companies, and not students.)

enthusiast

There has been a general rule that transitive verbs are regular and intransitive verbs irregular, at least among verbs that have been with the language since before the beginning. Verbs that came into the language since its importation to the British Isles have had a tendency to be regular regardless of their transitivity. Thus lie, as in lie down is irregular, lie, lay, lain and lay as in lay the book down is regular, lay, laid, laid. Hang retains this formalism only in the sense of hanging a person by the neck until dead. You will find hung used in this context but some will consider it incorrect. On the other hand, others will find hanged in this sense to be pretentious. Language usage is a slippery edged sword.

Language usage is a slippery edged sword.

False bottom?

Sliding floor?

The rule I learned was:
You hung up your coat. They hanged the man.

a general rule that transitive verbs are regular and intransitive verbs irregular

Just to muddy the water, I spent a little time researching the history of this rule and the more I looked the more it seemed to evaporate into the mists of coincidence.

It sounds like you were hung out to dry, Abbott.

I remember noticing that judge pronouncing death penalty by hanging always used "hanged".

I'm very glad they didn't carry the sentence out, Bill - we would have lost a great deal if they had.

Off on a tangent :
In the dear days (almost) beyond recall ... when writing the results of court cases in the 1970s/1980s our Editor-in-Chief insisted upon "He pleaded not guilty" even though we tended to say "He pled not guilty" ... now I see "pled" used all the time! Our Editor-in Chief insisted pleaded was correct and pled (in our news writing) was forbidden! Was he just a stickler or is there a rule about that?
Just askin'.

"Pled" sounds funny to me - I think I'd use "pleaded."

Re: hanged/hung - The former is restricted (at least in Mary's World!) to people who have been executed by hanging, and the latter is for everything else. An artistic executioner might say, "I hung my art show in the gallery after I hanged Jack the Ripper this morning at dawn." Or sumpin like that.

wouldn't it be "plead"? prounounced plehd...

WARNING: Somewhat off-colour word joke to follow.

Last Christmas the whole family was at my parents. The younger grandchildren were playing the basement so there were just the adult children, spouses and grandchildren present.

Somehow the hanged/hung thing came up and my sister told the following joke:

Did you hear about the plastic surgeon who hung himself?

Two groups in room didn't laugh - my venerable mother ("people are hanged not hung), and the grandchildren that didn't know that the difference between hanged and hung.

Rouspéteur

P.S. Thanks to all for the welcome back. School is done - I almost have a life back!

Plead entered the language during the Middle English period from Old French so it should be pleaded. Sometimes, if a word entered English early enough and it resembled an existing strong verb, it would take on a strong form.

RP --

One of my all-time favorite movies is Blazing Saddles. Black Bart has been pardoned from execution and appointed sheriff of Rock Rim. He rides into the railroad camp where he had worked, and one of the workers greeted ihm: Bart! Bart! We thought you was hung."

Black Bart (the late great Clevon Little looks down from his horse and drawls, "I am."

Another scene has Cloris Leachman (over)playing the chanteuse/prostitute Baroness von Shtup. I saw the movie for the first time with a Jewish lady I dated quite seriously many years ago. We both laughed so hard we thought we'd throw up.

Another memorable scene was when Mel Brooks, dressed as an Indian chief (you have to see it to believe it) rides his horse up to the covered wagon driven by the young Bart's father; he looked at the black trio and said in wondreful Yiddish accent, "ugh, shvartzes! Cop a walk."

We had tears coming out of our eyes and suddenly realized we were the only people in the audience who got this. I stil hear from Carmen occasionally. Her maiden name was Carmen Cohen; her mother called her Carmen and her father called her Cohen. In the long run she didn't know whether she was Carmen or Cohen.

TEd

the more I looked the more it seemed to evaporate into the mists of ....
inconsequence