A jacket can hang on a hook; a phone call can end. Hang up describes both actions. The first two examples show two positions for the same noun object.

The idea

With clothing, say hang up the coat / hang the coat up, but hang it up. For ending a call, hang up can stand alone. Hang up on someone describes abruptly ending their call. Use hung for the past and participle here.

Examples

  • Mina hung her jacket up beside the window.
  • Mina hung up her jacket beside the window.
  • Those coats are damp; hang them up separately.
  • I hung up after confirming the address.
  • Do not hang up yet; I need the house number.
  • The caller hung up on Lea when she asked his name.

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Watch out

Hanging up ends the call; it does not necessarily switch the phone off. Use hung, not hanged, for hanging clothing. The person after on is the caller whose conversation is cut short.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the correct option. Mina ___ her jacket up yesterday. (hung / hanged)

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    hung

    The ordinary past for hanging a jacket is hung. Hanged belongs to the execution sense.

  2. Choose the correct option. These coats are damp. Hang ___. (them up / up them)

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    them up

    The pronoun them replaces the coats and must come between hang and up.

  3. Choose the correct option. The caller hung up ___ Lea. (on / at)

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    on

    The expression for abruptly ending Lea's call is hang up on Lea.

Use it today

Describe where someone hung a jacket. Then write a polite request to keep a call open and a sentence about someone abruptly ending a call.