Yesterday I [hanged/hung] a picture on the wall.
In the United States, criminals are no longer [hanged/hung] as punishment for their crimes.
The verb “hang” means “to suspend” and it has two forms of the past tense: “hanged” and “hung.” The use of these words depends on their meaning. “Hanged” is used to mean “suspended with the intention of killing” and refers to a person; “hung” is used for objects or for people who are suspended for reasons other than to be killed.
Yesterday I [hanged/hung] a picture on the wall.
“Picture” is an object that was suspended by a nail on the wall.
In the United States, criminals are no longer [hanged/hung] as punishment for their crimes.
“Criminals” were people who were suspended by a rope in order to be killed.
Use “hung” with a person only in a context that does not involve suspending the person in order to kill him.
After Bob finished his bungee jump, he hung from the cord until he was released.
The mountain climber slipped and hung off the face of the cliff by a rope.
Neither Bob nor the mountain climber is suspended with intent to kill himself. The use of “hung” is correct in these sentences.
