This lesson aims at understanding the meaning and usage of the words ‘passed’ and ‘past’ so as to clear the confusion between them.
Passed
The word ‘passed’ is the past simple of the verb pass or the past participle of the verb:
Example 01: She passed the exam with distinction. Pass = to be successful in a
Example 02:The secretary passed the message to me. Pass = hand over (give)
Example 03:We had passed the shop 5 times before we saw it. Pass = to move past
Past
The word ‘past’ is not a verb. It has several uses. ‘Past’ is usually related to a time before the present or to indicate movement – from one side of a point to another.
- Example 01: This past month was a difficult time for me.
- Example 02: Thankfully all the trouble we had with the neighbors is all in the past.
- Example 03: John ran past. He didn’t even see us.