Word of the Day: Hang
To hang something is to put it on a wall, on a hook, or around some other object. This is an irregular verb with two different possibilities for the past tense and the past participle.
| simple | past | past participle |
|---|---|---|
|
hang
|
hung / hanged
|
hung / hanged
|
- I hung my coat in the closet.
- Where do you hang your clothes?
- Paintings hang in an art gallery.
- Signs hang in windows to advertise products.
- Many Americans hang American flags outside their homes on national holidays.
- Icicles hang from the eaves of houses in the winter.
- Business men hang neckties around their necks when wearing a suit.
The word “hang” is also used when a person spends time alone or with other people, usually friends.
- Rogelio likes to hang out with this friends on the weekend.
- Vanessa has been hanging with some bad people lately.
- Who do you hang out with?
- Let’s hang this weekend.
- There’s a strange-looking guy hanging around outside the store. He’s by himself.
- The police came by to talk to someone who was hanging around outside of a bank for several hours.
There are some popular expressions that use the word “hang.”
- Don’t leave me hanging. (Don’t leave me along. I need help.)
- I have another call. Can you hang on? (Can you wait?)
- Hang on. I’ll be right back. (Wait.)
- How’s it hanging? (How’s it going?)
- The patient is still hanging on. (The patient is still alive. He hasn’t died yet.)
There’s a form of execution that involves putting a rope around a person’s neck. In this case, use the word “hang.”
- As a form of frontier justice in the old west, people were hung for stealing or murder.
- John Wilkes Booth was hanged for his involvement in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
- People of a town used to gather to watch a convicted criminal be hung.
- Hanging is no longer a form of corporal punishment in the United States, but it is still practiced in a few other countries around the world.
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with H page to see the list of all words starting with letter H. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
