You can use it in the present (I pass, I am passing), in the future (I will pass) and in the past (I passed, I have passed). Passed ‘To pass’ is a verb – it describes an action. But for those who are interested, here’s a more detailed explanation of the definitions and grammatical functions of passed and past. Hopefully, you’re a master of passed and past now and need no further explanation. (The revised sentence doesn’t make sense, which means the original is correct – you need past.) Revised sentence in the present: Commuters hurry pass on their way to work. Original sentence: Commuters hurried past on their way to work. (The revised version makes sense, which means the original is wrong – you need passed.) Revised sentence in the present: The train passes through Newport, Cardiff and Swansea. Original sentence: The train past through Newport, Cardiff and Swansea. (The revised version makes sense, so the original is correct.) Revised version in the present: The meeting is passing very slowly. Original sentence: The meeting passed very slowly. If your rewrite makes sense, use passed in your original sentence if your rewrite doesn’t make sense, use past in your original sentence. Test 2: If your sentence is written in the past, try rewriting it in the present, using the words pass, passing or passes (depending on context). Test 1: Is your sentence written in the present, like sentences B, C, E and H above? If so, the correct word must be past. If grammatical terms are your nemesis and that explanation doesn’t help, here’s another technique… Sentence G: Commuters hurried _ on their way to work. Sentence F: Leaving the train station, we _ hundreds of commuters on their way to work. Sentence C: From _ experience, I know you can trust her. Sentence A: I _ the 25-mile mark in the marathon in record time. Try it out here (answers at the bottom of the page): So if your sentence requires a verb, you must use passed. The simplest way to choose between the two is to know that:ġ) passed is a verb 2) past is a noun, adjective, adverb and preposition, but it is never a verb. Reading three or four and you’ll get the drift – but who has time for that? So my aim is for this blog to become your comprehensive guide. The online explanations I found are pretty confusing. And sometimes a small change in sentence structure means you need the other word. Problems tend to arise because their meanings overlap. Deciding between passed and past isn’t always easy.
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