When to use Past/Pass?

[Suet Seung]

I always get confused when using past or pass to talk about a certain time that has passed already. So the use of past and pass tends to get mixed up.

i.e. This pass Monday I went to work or is it this past Monday I went to work?

Do you know which is the correct usage? Can you explain and give examples?

[Ken Cheng]

"Past" is an adjective or noun ONLY. It can NEVER be used as a verb. As a noun, it refers to events that have already happened. As an adjective, it describes conditions that occurred before the present time.

ex: In the past, dinosaurs lived on the Earth. (noun)

ex: This past week was very busy for all concerned. (adjective)

"Passed" is a past tense verb ONLY. It cannot be used as a noun or adjective.

ex: I passed by that slower car on the freeway.

ex: We passed our exams with no problem.

[bellamia]

The way that I differentiate these two words is remembering that one is relating to time. Employ the word “past” whenever you are speaking in terms or in references of time. For example, “what he did is in the past” or “my past experiences have shaped my character.”

Ken, please clarify but I thought the word “pass” can be either a verb or a noun. For example, it can be used as a verb when saying, “The problem was passed onto me.” Or it can be used as a noun when saying, “Do not pass your problem onto me.”

[Ken Cheng]

Ken, please clarify but I thought the word “pass” can be either a verb or a noun. For example, it can be used as a verb when saying, “The problem was passed onto me.” Or it can be used as a noun when saying, “Do not pass your problem onto me.”

You're partially right.

"Pass" can have a noun meaning, as in "bathroom pass" (like your elementary or high school teacher might have given you back in the day when you had to leave the classroom to use the restroom) or, more colloquially, "I got a pass on the test" (in other words, you didn't flunk).

But "passED", with the "-ed" suffix, can never be anything other than a past tense verb. "-ed" suffix verbs don't form nouns, although many "-ing" verbs do (those are called gerunds).

NOTE: in your second example sentence, "Do not pass your problem on to me," "pass" is a verb. It characterizes an action, not a person, place, object, or concept.

[Sparky]

For example, it can be used as a verb when saying, “The problem was passed onto me.” Or it can be used as a noun when saying, “Do not pass your problem onto me.”

lol I think you are still using "pass" as a verb in your second sentence, because you could just replace it with a verb like "transfer." You are correct that it can be used as a noun though. Like "my dreams came to pass" or "bella's pass helped David Beckham score the winning goal" or "get a pass to go to the bathroom."

Ken's explanation basically points out the difference, but things are a bit more complicated because "pass" does function as a noun. Also "past" functions as a preposition besides a noun/adj...like you can say "it's half past two" or "we drove past your house." For me it's intuitive, just like verb tenses (even though I can't name half of them).

As for the original question by SS, I believe it's "this past Monday."

[Ken Cheng]

n. Also "past" functions as a preposition besides a noun/adj...like you can say "it's half past two" or "we drove past your house."

The first one you cited is probably a preposition; the second one, I believe, is an adverb (describing where we drove).

I've also recalled another noun usage for "pass": in sports (notably, basketball, American football, hockey, and soccer), a pass is the act of giving the ball to a teammate during a game.

Also, more colloquially, "to give it a pass" might mean that you decline something that is offered (such as an invitation to see a movie you think will be boring).

[bellamia]

Alright, everything makes sense. Thanks for the clarification!

[oGaKirA]

"Passed" is a past tense verb ONLY. It cannot be used as a noun or adjective.

ex: I passed by that slower car on the freeway.

ex: We passed our exams with no problem.

So is there no present tense of the verb "pass?"

For example the Bible uses..."So it came to pass" often. Im not quite certain if that is the noun pass or verb? But Im inclined to think it is the verb?

arrrgg....the English language is so confusing!!!!

[Ken Cheng]

So is there no present tense of the verb "pass?"

"Pass" is the present tense for "pass"; it's "passes" if the subject is singular.

arrrgg....the English language is so confusing!!!!

That's why I get paid big bucks to teach it.

[HuangYushi]

The way that I differentiate these two words is remembering that one is relating to time. Employ the word “past” whenever you are speaking in terms or in references of time. For example, “what he did is in the past” or “my past experiences have shaped my character.”

For Suet Sueng:

Just to expand a bit on bellamia's post:
An easy way to remember that "past" is related to "time" is to use the letter "t", i.e.

pasT = Time

[JamesG]

I've always spoken English and it still gives me trouble at times. It's like a moving target with dozens of new words being added every year and old words being used in new, and sometimes strange, ways. In another hundred years....

[oGaKirA]

For Suet Sueng:

Just to expand a bit on bellamia's post:
An easy way to remember that "past" is related to "time" is to use the letter "t", i.e.

pasT = Time

Yes and for pass remember p@$$ = as in pass gas from @$$.

[remember_Cedric]

"Past" is an adjective or noun ONLY. It can NEVER be used as a verb. As a noun, it refers to events that have already happened. As an adjective, it describes conditions that occurred before the present time.

ex: In the past, dinosaurs lived on the Earth. (noun)

ex: This past week was very busy for all concerned. (adjective)

"Passed" is a past tense verb ONLY. It cannot be used as a noun or adjective.

ex: I passed by that slower car on the freeway.

ex: We passed our exams with no problem.

Very detailed. A Teacher/Professor indeed. Hmm my assessment of Ken Cheng...I think you are either a taurus or a capricorn.

Hey oGaKirA, bible? You're a Christian or are you a Catholic? Merry Christmas Ho ho ho

[bellamia]

Yes and for pass remember p@$$ = as in pass gas from @$$.

how crude and yet so educational of you...

[Ken Cheng]

Very detailed. A Teacher/Professor indeed. Hmm my assessment of Ken Cheng...I think you are either a taurus or a capricorn.

Taurus, although I'm not much of a zodiac follower.

[remember_Cedric]

Taurus, although I'm not much of a zodiac follower.

Aha! Thank you for the reply. My astrology "antenna" sensed that you're likely to be a Taurus, Capricorn would probably exclusive.

Hmmm... an individual born under an astrology sign may not mean that it has the complete characteristics of that particular sign ... Each of us, however, will still reveal our "true" self (our sign) when time calls (possibly when we meet our "extreme").