While we all understand the failings of spell check, I've seen more than my share of proof. Let me show a recent example. I saw something like this in a recent client manuscript:
He past the grocery store on the way to the library.
According to spell check, this sentence is fine. True, all of the words are spelled correctly, but that's not the problem. The issue is a relatively common one—the confusion of past and passed. But keeping a few things in mind can prevent this same mistake.
Passed: The Past Tense Verb
When your sentence requires a verb, you'll need passed rather than past. Passed is the past participle form of the verb “to pass.”
There are a few other uses for passed that probably add to the confusion a bit, but I suspect most people are familiar with them. Here are a few examples:
Past in Different Parts of Speech
This is where the differentiation may become confusing. While passed is generally used in one part of speech (verb) with only a few exceptions, past is a bit more versatile. Consider the following ways past can be used.
Confusion with Passed and Past
Writers often confuse passed and past, as in the sentence at the beginning of this post:
He past the grocery store on the way to the library.
If you have any doubts regarding which one to use, try rewriting the sentence in present tense. If you find you're using pass or passes, then your sentence requires the the past participle form of to pass:
He passed the grocery store on the way to the library.
However, if you aren't using any forms of the verb to pass, then you should be using past instead, as in one of the previous examples:
We drove past the theater.
He past the grocery store on the way to the library.
According to spell check, this sentence is fine. True, all of the words are spelled correctly, but that's not the problem. The issue is a relatively common one—the confusion of past and passed. But keeping a few things in mind can prevent this same mistake.
Passed: The Past Tense Verb
When your sentence requires a verb, you'll need passed rather than past. Passed is the past participle form of the verb “to pass.”
There are a few other uses for passed that probably add to the confusion a bit, but I suspect most people are familiar with them. Here are a few examples:
- Noun (when asked to be respectful of the passed, it is referring to a person or people who have passed away)
- Adjective (anyone familiar with baseball will recognize the term “passed ball”)
Past in Different Parts of Speech
This is where the differentiation may become confusing. While passed is generally used in one part of speech (verb) with only a few exceptions, past is a bit more versatile. Consider the following ways past can be used.
- A noun referring to time gone by or something that happened during that time: David often idealized the past.
- An adjective meaning gone by in time or having taken place in some period before the present: Her past experience in the field placed her ahead of her colleagues.
- An adverb that refers to reaching beyond a point near at hand: The children stared as Mike walked past.
- A preposition meaning beyond or after: We drove past the theater.
Confusion with Passed and Past
Writers often confuse passed and past, as in the sentence at the beginning of this post:
He past the grocery store on the way to the library.
If you have any doubts regarding which one to use, try rewriting the sentence in present tense. If you find you're using pass or passes, then your sentence requires the the past participle form of to pass:
He passed the grocery store on the way to the library.
However, if you aren't using any forms of the verb to pass, then you should be using past instead, as in one of the previous examples:
We drove past the theater.
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