Distinguishing Between Past & Passed

Past vs Passed

Past and Passed are two words that are often confused due to their phonetic resemblance while strictly speaking there is a distinct difference between the two words. While passed is the past tense of the verb pass the word past is not a past tense of any verb. It is, in fact, used in a number of parts of speech. At one time past appears as a noun, then as an adjective. Sometimes accompanied by a verb it appears as an adverb. As in the sentence, ‘Don’t go past the well,’ the word past appears as a preposition. Let us learn these and the difference between the two words, past and passed, in depth.

What does Past mean?

The word past is indicative of the meaning ‘previous’. Look at these sentences given below:
He never did that in the past.
The past events shook his life.
In both the sentences, you can find that the word past is used in the sense of ‘previous’ and hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘he never did that previously’. In the same way, the second sentence could be rewritten as ‘the previous events shook his life’. It is interesting to note that the word past is sometimes used in the sense of ‘history’ as in the sentence given below.
The country boasts of its glorious past.
In this sentence, you can get the meaning ‘the country boasts of its glorious history’. In the sentence, ‘he never did that in the past’, you can find that the word past carries the meaning ‘before’.

What does Passed mean?

On the other hand, the word passed gives the meaning of something that is ‘moved’ or ‘sent’. This is the main difference between the two words. Moreover, the word passed has altogether a different usage than the word past. Observe the two sentences given below:
I passed the book to my friend.
She passed her intermediate with distinction.
In the first sentence, the word passed is used in the sense of ‘give’ and hence, the meaning of the sentence would be ‘I gave the book to my friend’. In the second sentence, the word ‘passed’ is used in the sense of ‘got through’ or completed and hence, the meaning of the sentence would be ‘she completed her intermediate with distinction’.
Another important fact to mention about the word passed is that it is the past tense of the verb pass. When passed is used in a sentence unlike past it is used as the verb. For example,
She passed her sister without looking.
She moved past her sister without looking.
You will see that in the first sentence, the word passed is used. It speaks about movement, moving past. In the second sentence, the word past is used as an adverb to support the verb moved. That is because as a verb past does not have a meaning. It always has to be used with another verb.

What is the difference between Past and Passed?

• The word past is indicative of the meaning ‘previous’.
• On the other hand, the word passed gives the meaning of something that is ‘moved’ or ‘sent’. This is the main difference between the two words.
• Past is sometimes used in the sense of ‘history.’
• Unlike past, passed has many uses. At one time passed could mean ‘give.’ Then, passed can also mean ‘got through’ or ‘completed,’ if we are speaking of an examination.
• Passed is the past tense of the verb past. Therefore, it can be used in sentences as a verb.
• Past, on the other hand, cannot be used as a verb as it is an adverb that needs the company of another verb.

Key Takeaways

• Past is indicative of the meaning ‘previous’ and can be used as a noun, adjective, adverb, or preposition.
• Passed is the past tense of the verb pass and gives the meaning of something that is ‘moved’ or ‘sent’.
• Past cannot be used as a verb, while passed can be used as a verb in sentences.