Meaning & use
past
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Meanings
nounusually singular
The time before the present; events that have already happened.
Grammar: Often used with 'the': in the past, a thing of the past.
Patterns
- the past
- in the past
In the past, people wrote letters by hand.
We can't change the past, but we can learn from it.
The past few years have been difficult.
adjectivebefore a noun
Belonging to an earlier time; gone by.
Grammar: Used before a noun: past events, the past week.
Patterns
- past + noun
She has fond memories of past summers.
The past president attended the ceremony.
We've had a lot of rain in the past month.
preposition
Further than a point in space or time; beyond.
Grammar: Followed by a noun: walk past the bank, half past two.
Patterns
- past something
The bus goes past my house.
It's ten past three.
He walked past me without saying hello.
Common combinations
- in the past
- In the past, this building was a hotel.
- past experience
- She has a lot of past experience in teaching.
- half past
- Let's meet at half past six.
- the past few days
- I've been busy the past few days.
Synonyms and how they differ
- history
- History refers to the study or record of past events, while past is a more general word for any earlier time.
- bygone
- Bygone is literary and means 'past' as an adjective, often in phrases like 'bygone days'.
Opposites
Commonly confused: past or passed?
past vs passed
Passed is the past tense of the verb 'pass' (I passed the test), while past is a noun, adjective, or preposition.
Practice
Choose the correct word: 'She walked ______ the bakery without stopping.'
Choose one answer.
Past is a preposition meaning 'beyond'. Passed is the past tense verb, pass is the base verb, and passing is the -ing form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “past”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.