Explained: Past vs Passed

Passed vs. Past – How to Use Each Correctly

Both?past?and?passed?can be used of motion and time. The word?past?can be used as an adjective, a preposition, a noun, or an adverb. The word?passed?is the past tense of the verb?pass. Both words have many uses.

When?past?is used as an adjective it refers to a time gone by or something from, done, or used in an earlier time. Below are some examples of?past?used as an adjective.

• She was good at her job because of her?past?experience.
• I just saw my parents this?past?weekend.
• He is a?past?[=former] member of the club.
• It hasn't been this warm in?past?years.

When?past?is used as a preposition it means "beyond (a particular place)" or "up to and beyond (a person or place)" or "later than (a time)." Below are some examples of?past?used as a preposition.

• We walked?past?the post office on our way home.
• Her house is a mile?past?the school.
• He looked?past?me and saw his friend approaching us.
• It was?past?5:00 pm when we left.
• I think that sauce is?past?its expiration date.

When?past?is used as a noun it refers to an earlier time. Below are some examples of?past?used as a noun.

• She was living in the?past?and couldn't move on.
• We had such happy memories of the?past.
• They have an interesting?past.

When?past?is used as an adverb it means "to and beyond a certain point or time." Below are some examples of?past?used as an adverb.

• We drove?past?too quickly to see if they were home.
• Three bunnies hopped?past?energetically.
• A year went?past?before I heard from my sister.

The word?passed?is the past tense of the verb?pass?which means "to move through or into a place or a time" or "to let a period of time go by" or "to go from one person or place to another" or "to happen or take place." Below are some examples of how?passed?is used.

• We?passed?[=moved past] our friends in the hall.
• Time?passed?slowly while we were waiting to see the doctor.
• The ships?passed?each other in the night.
• Fear and panic?passed?through?the crowd.
• The rumor quickly?passed?from student to student.
• They?passed?the time by playing games.
• The meeting?passed?without incident.

Pass?and?passed?have many uses that have to do with motion and time.?Past?can also refer to motion or time.