I walked past (not “I walked passed”). Past is used as a preposition indicating movement in front of or beyond something.
Key takeaways:
Use "past" as a noun, adjective, or preposition to refer to time, direction, or events (e.g., "in the past" or "walk past the house").
Use "passed" as the past tense of the verb "pass" (e.g., "He passed the test").
Part of the series Grammar Debugged—English for Devs
Understanding the difference between past and passed can be tricky, but it’s essential for clear communication. Past refers to time or a previous state, while passed is the past tense of "pass," meaning movement or transition.
Past is a versatile word that can function as a
As a noun, it refers to a time before the present.
As an adjective, it describes something related to time before now.
As a preposition, it refers to movement or location beyond something.
Passed is the past tense and past participle of the
Indicates movement
Indicates time progression
Indicates success
Choose the correct word (past or passed) for each sentence:
The bus drove ________ our stop without stopping.
She ________ the exam with flying colors.
We need to leave the ________ behind and focus on the future.
They walked _________ the museum on their way to the park.
Here are some frequent errors and how to avoid them:
Confusing past with passed in movement-related sentences:
Incorrect: We walked passed the building.
Correct: We walked past the building.
Mixing them up in time-related sentences:
Incorrect: An hour past since he called.
Correct: An hour passed since he called.
Misusing passed instead of past as a noun or adjective:
Incorrect: She reflected on her passed mistakes.
Correct: She reflected on her past mistakes.
Word | Part of Speech | Function | Examples |
Past | Noun, adjective, preposition | Refers to time, location, or events before the present | "We learned from the past." "Walk past the shop." |
Passed | Verb (past tense) | Refers to an action of passing or succeeding | "He passed the test." "Time passed quickly." |
Knowing when to use past and passed can help you communicate clearly and avoid common mistakes. Remember, past refers to time or direction, while passed is a verb that implies action. Keep practicing with these examples and quizzes, and soon, you’ll never mix them up again!
Match the examples that demonstrate the difference between past vs. passed:
Two weeks have ________ since we last met.
passed
The ________ year has been challenging for everyone
past
He ________ me the salt during dinner.
We drove ________ the gas station without stopping.
History teaches us lessons from the ________.
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To enhance technical writing and minimize common grammar mistakes, continue exploring these topics:
Commonly confused words (homophones & similar-sounding words): These words sound alike but have different meanings and spellings.
Prepositions & usage differences: These words and phrases are often confused due to subtle contextual differences.
Punctuation & formatting: These involve rules for using dashes, abbreviations, and sentence structure.
Grammar & sentence structure: These deal with pronoun choices, verb usage, and comparison.
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