preposition
1
BAD : I was 8 years old when my father past away.
GOOD : I was 8 years old when my father passed away.
BAD : Several taxis past me without stopping.
GOOD : Several taxis passed me without stopping.
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The past tense and past participle of the verb pass is passed (NOT past): 'She's passed all her exams.' 'I passed him in the corridor but he didn't say anything.''These remedies have been passed down from one generation to the next.'
Past is (1) an adjective: 'For the past week he's been ill in bed.'
(2) a preposition: 'She walked past me very quickly.'
(3) an adverb: 'She walked past very quickly.'
(4) a noun: 'He never speaks about his past.'
Past is NOT used as a verb.
2
BAD : It was a little past five when the game finished.
GOOD : It was just after five when the game finished.
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Use past when you mention exact times: 'eight minutes past three', 'a quarter past two', 'twenty-five past seven'. Otherwise use just after, shortly after, etc : 'Her flight arrived shortly after midnight.'