Hanged vs. Hung—Learn the Difference

Even the most hardened grammarians don’t condone capital punishment for grammar offenses, but we do tend to get hung up about hanged. Hanged can only refer to someone’s death by hanging. If you are wondering, “Is it hanged or hung?” establish whether a deadly action has taken place.

It’s one of the few times when grammar becomes a matter of life and death.

The Past Tense of Hang

Hung is the past tense of to hang when it means “to suspend or be suspended.”

Hanged is the past tense of to hang when it means “to kill someone by tying a rope attached from above and removing the support from beneath.”

to hang = to suspend

Present Tense	I hang	you hang	he/she/it hangs	we hang	you hang	they hang
Simple Past Tense	I hung	you hung	he/she/it hung	we hung	you hung	they hung
Present Participle	I am hanging	you are hanging	he/she/it is hanging	we are hanging	you are hanging	they are hanging
Past Participle	I/you/we/(s)he/it/they hung	—	—	—	—	—

to hang = to kill by hanging

Present Tense	I hang	you hang	he/she/it hangs	we hang	you hang	they hang
Simple Past Tense	I hanged	you hanged	he/she/it hanged	we hanged	you hanged	they hanged
Present Participle	I am hanging	you are hanging	he/she/it is hanging	we are hanging	you are hanging	they are hanging
Past Participle	I/you/we/(s)he/it/they hanged	—	—	—	—	—

How to Use “Hung”

Clothes can be hung on hangers and pictures can be hung on walls. Some people use the rule of thumb that things are hung and people are hanged, but that doesn’t always work out the way it should. It is possible to suspend people without intending to hurt them—for example, to harness someone to a bungee cord and dangle them off the bridge (which may seem like tempting death, but that’s more of an opinion than a fact).

We hung all of our clothes on hangers when we unpacked our moving boxes.

I ran straight home from school with my Grammar MVP Award and hung it on the wall.

After the jump, Juan laughed as he hung from the bridge, ready to be hauled back up.

How to Use “Hanged”

If you are deciding between hanged vs. hung and an act of execution is involved, always choose hanged. Hanged can also be used reflexively to refer to suicides (e.g., he hanged himself, they hanged themselves).

H. H. Holmes was hung for murder in 1896.

H. H. Holmes was hanged for murder in 1896.

The terminally ill man hung himself rather than face a torturous demise.

The terminally ill man hanged himself rather than face a torturous demise.

So when you are playing the letter game Hangman, the figure you draw is your hanged man, not your hung man.

Difficult Differences Between “Hang” and “Hung”

Because it was common practice in centuries past not only to execute criminals by hanging but to also display their bodies for a period of time to deter other potential criminals, it is just possible that you will need to elucidate in your writing that a deceased person spent some time suspended post-execution.

Conveniently, history is rife with examples.

Captain Kidd was hanged at Execution Dock, London, in 1701. He was gibbeted and hung over the River Thames for a further three years as a warning to pirates.

Certain phrasal verbs containing hang confuse some writers as well. To hang out, which means “to casually socialize with friends,” should become hung out in the past tense. Hanged out implies something much less casual (and more deadly).

We hanged out at my mother’s house last Friday night.

We hung out at my mother’s house last Friday night.

Similarly, to be overly concerned about something is to get hung up on it, not hanged up.

Sure, I didn’t wash my hands before cooking dinner, but don’t get hanged up on it.

Sure, I didn’t wash my hands before cooking dinner, but don’t get hung up on it.

“Hanged” vs. “Hung”: Summary

Using the correct past tense of to hang is simple once you make the distinction between its use for capital punishment and its more innocuous meanings. All you need to remember is that hanged has to do with a person’s demise, and hung is used for all other definitions of “to hang,” including idiomatic verbal phrases that contain it.

How to Consistently Write Better and Faster

In this article, here’s what you’ll discover:

• why distractions are more debilitating than you think (and what to do about them)
• a simple four-step formula to dramatically improve your writing
• how to crank out high-quality content in half the time by optimizing every step of the writing process from first draft to formatting

So let’s get started, shall we?

Why distractions are more debilitating than you think (and what to do about it)

Just how bad are distractions for your productivity?

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology investigated this question—and its findings were shocking. A research team lead by Erik Altmann wanted to see whether short-term interruptions—lasting as little as 2.8 seconds—affected performance. Subjects completed tasks on a computer. While they worked, an interruption appeared on their screens and researchers logged how many errors subjects made when returning to the task.

Researchers found that interruptions averaging 2.8 seconds doubled the number of mistakes; interruptions averaging 4.4 seconds tripled it.

That’s incredible. Even a simple distraction lasting less than five seconds can triple the number of errors you make. So it pays to block distractions at every turn.

But how do you block distractions? While most productivity gurus will tell you to use tools like StayFocusd to block time-wasting sites, I’ll give you something even better.

The “magic word” scientifically proven to reduce distractions by 64 percent

In a study for the Journal of Consumer Research, Vanessa Patrick and Henrik Hagtvedt measured the power of self-talk and how it affected distractions and follow-through.

In the experiment, thirty women attended a seminar on long-term health goals. After the seminar, researchers asked the women to join a program that would help them change their eating habits by changing their self-talk.

The women were divided into three separate groups of ten:

• Group A was instructed to say something like “I can’t eat cupcakes because I’m on a diet” when facing temptation.
• Group B would say something like “I don’t eat cupcakes because I’m on a diet.”
• Group C adopted a “just say no” strategy.

The results?

Eight out of ten women in Group B (“I don’t”) stuck with the program for the full ten days.

Of the women in Group C (“No”), only three completed the program.

And of those in Group A (“I can’t”), only one person completed the program.

Let that sink in. By substituting a single word—don’t for can’t—people were eight times as likely to succeed.

(Note: If you’re into statistics, the p-value in the above experiment was less than 0.001, which means there is only a 1 in 1,000 likelihood the improvement was due to chance. I’ll take those odds any day.)

Bottom line: the next time you’re faced with temptation—whether it’s a distraction or otherwise—tell yourself “I don’t X” instead of “I can’t X.”

Here are a few examples to keep your writing on track:

• Once I start, I don’t stop writing until I’ve written 1,000 words.
• When I’m writing, I don’t browse the Internet, use my phone, stop for snacks, or play with my cat until I have written 2,000 words.
• I don’t eat breakfast until I’ve completed this blog post.

See how simple it is? Try it yourself and enjoy the results right away!

How to write better: a simple four-step formula to dramatically improve your writing

When I began as a copywriter, I copied some of the best sales letters out there. In fact, copywriting legend Gary Halbert recommended you not just copy these pages, but actually write them out by hand to ensure the good writing gets into your bones. (He actually used that phrase; no wonder they called him the Prince of Print.)

So without further ado, follow these four simple steps to dramatically improve your writing:

1 Find a brilliant piece of writing. Start with these. 2 Select 300 to 500 words from that piece, then type—don’t copy and paste!—that writing into a Google Doc. 3 Add comments throughout the piece; note what you like, what you don’t, and how you’d improve it. 4 Rewrite the piece in your own words. Use a completely different topic, but strive to maintain the original’s structure and pace.

Easy, right?

How to write faster (or, how I tripled my writing speed—and how you can, too)

There are four techniques I’ve used to triple my writing speed. Before I used these techniques I averaged about 500 words per hour; now, I average about 1,500 words per hour and occasionally top out at 2,000 words per hour.

Technique 1: Outline everything

An effective outline serves as your “talking points.” These talking points allow you to “talk” through your first draft, which should be done as quickly as possible. It also ensures you’ve thought through your writing and that everything is presented logically for your reader.

Technique 2: Become a dictator (in a good way)

Don’t underestimate the power of dictation. Once you learn to dictate effectively, you can easily double your writing speed.

To get started, use the Google Docs voice typing feature (free) or Dragon Speaking Naturally. (Note: I use Google Docs for everything.)

Don’t “think” about dictating. Instead, pretend you’re speaking to a friend. Sometimes it helps to look in a mirror while you’re talking. This makes you—and therefore, your writing—feel more conversational.

Speak quickly through your first draft. Do not try to edit. Your first draft will be ugly. That’s fine. Speed is important in your first draft; quality only matters in subsequent drafts. Just dump all your ideas onto the page and worry later about cleaning it up.

Technique 3: Track your words-per-hour

Use a spreadsheet to track how many words you write (or dictate) in a twenty-five-minute period. Your goal is to “write” at least 1,000 words per hour. (As I mentioned before, 2,000 is doable—and some people claim to write as fast as 5,000 words per hour!)

Technique 4: Format the fast (and smart) way

Formatting is important but time-consuming if you’re not careful. You can easily waste hours formatting your text, adding images, and including HTML as well as links to further resources.

The simplest way to speed up your formatting is to use Google Docs. Google Docs is online, free, and contains several useful tools.

For example, you can search for links directly within the doc (instead of searching via Google). This makes it very easy for you to add hyperlinks to further resources. It also keeps you away from Google’s search results—which can lead you down a dark road to distraction.

Another useful tool is Image Extractor. This free add-on makes it simple to copy and paste images into your post, then save them all at the very end for publication.

In conclusion, you can improve your writing in three ways:

• Write better
• Write faster
• Format better and faster

By improving these three elements, you create a virtuous cycle. What tips do you have for writing better and faster? Let me know in the comments below!

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Adam Costa—and his wife Darcie Connell—run KeepInspiring.me, a blog dedicated to inspiration and motivation, and 10xToday.com, where you can access free e-courses on how to become ten times better at life. Adam is also the author of 10x Life: A breakthrough system to improve focus, develop productive habits, and maximize willpower-in 5 minutes a day.

Which TV Boss Do You Work For?

There are many types of bosses, from serious, commanding types like Claire Underwood to fun, friendly types like Michael Scott. Find out which famous TV boss is your manager’s personality twin!

Did we get it right? Which TV boss do you work for? Share your stories in the comments.

Purposely vs. Purposefully—Learn How To Use Both Correctly

Purposely and purposefully are two English words that are often confused. Because they both have the same root, purpose, are both adverbs, and are only a shade apart in meaning, it is no wonder that they are used incorrectly with such frequency.

Here’s how to use them.

The Difference between “Purposely” and “Purposefully”

When you use purposely in a sentence, it should be synonymous with intentionally and on purpose. The opposite of purposely is accidentally.

Theresa purposely placed her note on the table where her mother would find it.

Theresa intentionally placed her note on the table where her mother would find it.

Theresa placed her note on the table on purpose so her mother would find it.

When you use purposefully in a sentence, it should mean “in a way that shows determination and resolve” or, put more simply, “full of purpose.” The opposite of purposefully would be close to negligently or carelessly. A good example of a character who does things purposefully is Mary Poppins; there is a sensible methodology to everything she does.

Mary purposefully measured out a spoonful of sugar into each child’s medicine.

That is not to say that one needs to be as “practically perfect in every way” as Mary Poppins to do something purposefully. As long as an action is done with determination, it is purposeful.

His supervisor purposefully showed him how every file needed to be organized in order to avoid further errors.

Tip:

Here’s a tip: Purposely means on purpose. Purposefully means full of purpose.

“Purposely” and “Purposefully” Are Close in Meaning

People who are predisposed toward grammatical hypercorrection often nitpick about the correctness of purposely, presumably because purposefully just sounds more “grammatical.” Yet, purposely can be the unequivocally correct choice when it means “on purpose”. Here are some further examples of just how fine a distinction needs to be made when you decide whether to write purposely or purposefully.

The princess surreptitiously, but purposely, dropped her handkerchief so the knight would be tempted to pick it up.

Why does this sentence require purposely and not purposefully? The fact that the princess dropped the handkerchief surreptitiously (i.e., she wanted it to appear accidental) precludes the use of purposefully. If the princess had dropped her handkerchief purposefully, her determination would have been overt.

In some cases, sentences can be almost—but not quite—identical in meaning when purposely and purposefully are interchanged.

Our software has been purposely designed to be efficient and user friendly.

This sentence suggests that whoever designed the software made it efficient and user friendly on purpose; its efficiency and user-friendliness is not an accidental by-product of its design. Let’s swap purposely with purposefully and see how the sentence changes.

Our software has been purposefully designed to be efficient and user friendly.

The meaning of this sentence is virtually the same as that of the first, but it highlights something subtly different. As it now reads, there is more of an emphasis on the fastidiousness of the creators rather than the product itself; we are impressed with images of a team of software designers working diligently to ensure that their customers have the best possible product.

Which word you choose in a situation like this should depend on what angle you wish to take and the point you want to be underscored.

Whether you choose purposely or purposefully, the involvement of purpose in both words suggests the intentional act of a human. (At the outside, it might also be applied to a well-programmed computer or a very smart dog.)

If you feel like a star after learning how to use purposely and purposefully, check out these other commonly confused words.