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Walk Past or Walk Passed: Which Is Correct?

The correct way to say you’re walking by someone or something is “walk past”. This is because past is an adverb that modifies the verb walk. If someone walks by you, another correct way to say it is they “walked past” you. The phrase “walk passed” is incorrect and ungrammatical and should not be used in everyday speech and writing.

“Walk passed” or “walk pass” are ungrammatical and incorrect. Past and pass are homophones, meaning they sound the same but have different meanings. Although sometimes people say “walk pass” as slang for ” walk past”, when writing, you should be grammatically correct unless quoting someone.

“Walk past” means to change your position in relation to something while walking. If there’s an object or person that you pass as you walk, you walked past them or it, thereby putting it or them behind you.

In summary, the correct word usage is:

  • “Walk past” is the correct way to say and write the phrase.
  • “Walk passed” is incorrect and ungrammatical and shouldn’t be used in everyday speech and writing.
  • “Walk Pass” is a homophone for “walk past” because it sounds the same and is often used as slang to mean “walk past”, but it is incorrect and technically has no meaning. It should not be used in writing unless quoting someone.

Avoid using “walk passed” and “walk pass” in your writing and everyday speech. They’re incorrect and ungrammatical. Use “walk past” instead.

The same rule applies to other forms of travel, such as “flew past”, “ran past”, or “drove past”.

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Definition and Examples of Walk Passed and Walk Past

Past and passed are homophones, which are words that sound the same but have different meanings. This is one of the reasons why the English language can be hard to learn. Understanding the words past and passed gets even harder when they’re used in a phrase. This is what makes walk past and walk passed confusing.

Learning how to use them correctly becomes easier by looking at the definition of homophones.

The word passed is the past tense of the verb to pass.

When used in the present tense, the verb pass looks like this: I will pass you the salt. If you substitute the word pass for passed, I passed you the salt, signifies past tense.

Here are some examples:

  • I passed him the salt and pepper.
  • The quarterback passed the ball and scored.
  • My nephew passed on his entrance exams.

By changing pass to passed, the verb describes something that has already happened, which is past tense.

When the word past is used as an adverb, such as in the phrase walk past, it means so as to pass from one side of something to the other. For example, “I walk past the football field on my way home from school.”

When comparing the phrases walk past and walk passed, you’ll see the correct phrase is walk past. Walk passed has no meaning and is grammatically incorrect.

Past has multiple uses:

  • Adjective (in past years)
  • Adverb (he walked past)
  • Noun (in the past)
  • Preposition (past his prime).

Passed only functions as the past tense of the verb pass (I passed the salt).

“Walk Past” or “Walk Passed”: Which Is Correct?

The correct way to say you’re walking by someone or something is “walk past”, not walked past. Past is an adverb that modifies the verb walk. The phrase “walked passed” is incorrect and ungrammatical and should not be used in everyday speech and writing.

Past and pass are homophones, which means they sound the same but have different meanings and should not be used interchangeably.

“Walk past” means to change your position in relation to something while walking. If there’s an object or person that you pass as you walk, you walked past them or it, thereby putting it or them behind you.

“Walked passed” sound a lot like “walk past” when speaking the words, but the phrase actually has no meaning and is grammatically incorrect.

In summary, the correct word usage is:

  • “Walk past” is the correct way to say and write the phrase.
  • “Walked passed” is incorrect and ungrammatical and shouldn’t be used in everyday speech and writing.
  • “Walk Passed” is also grammatically incorrect and shouldn’t be used in speech and writing.

Avoid using “walk passed” and “walked passed” in your writing and everyday speech. They’re incorrect and ungrammatical. Use “walk past” instead.

The same rule applies to other forms of travel, such as “flew past”, “ran past”, or “drove past”.

Examples:

  • If you’re walking down the street and you pass by a restaurant, you’ve just “walked past” a restaurant.
  • I “walk past” a newspaper stand on my way to work.

“Walk Past” or “Walked Passed”?

The phrase “Walk past” is often confused and incorrectly written or spoken as “walked passed,” but that’s incorrect. The word past is an adverb that modifies the verb walk. If someone walks by you, a correct way to describe the action is that they “walked past” you.

“Walk past” means to change your position in relation to something while walking. If there’s an object or person that you pass while walking, you walked past it, thereby putting it or them behind you.

The phrase “walk passed” is incorrect and ungrammatical and should not be used in everyday speech and writing. Instead, use the correct version, “walk past.”

Examples:

  • If you’re walking down the street and you pass by a restaurant, you’ve just “walked past” a restaurant.
  • I “walk past” a newspaper stand on my way to work.
  • An old friend “walked past” me while I was waiting for the bus.

Many people will say “walk pass” as short, or slang, for “walk past”. This is incorrect in speech and writing and has no real meaning. However, it’s OK to use the phrase “walk pass” in your writing when quoting someone.

“Past” Has Many Meanings

The word “past” has many meanings. It can be an adverb, adjective, noun, or preposition. In the phrase “walk past” it’s used as an adjective because it adds meaning to the word walk.

Here are some examples to help you understand the different want to use “past” in a sentence.

“Past” as an adverb

When past is used as an adverb, it adds meaning to and modifies the verb that comes before it. This is how it’s used in the phrase “walk past”.

  • The mailman just walked past the house.
  • I walk past the post office on my way home from work.

“Past” as an adjective

When past is used as an adjective it describes the prior word.

  • He walked past without saying a word.
  • She quickly drove past the house.

“Past” as a noun

When past is used as a noun it means the time or a period of time before the moment of speaking or writing.

  • Many people have a difficult past.
  • Let the past be in the past.

“Past” as a preposition

When past is used as a preposition it means to or on the further side of.

  • It’s half past noon.
  • He drove on past the house.

The key to understanding when and how to use the word past is to understand the context and sentence structure in which it’s being used. In the phrase walk past, it’s being used as an adjective to add meaning to the word walk.

Is “Walk Past” the Same as “Walk Pass”

No, “Walk past” is not the same as “walk pass”. “Walk past” is the correct way to say you’re walking by someone or something. “Walk pass” is ungrammatical and isn’t acceptable in the English language. You can “walk past” something but not “walk pass” it. It would also be accurate to say that you “walked past” something or someone (past tense).

Past and pass are homophones, meaning they sound the same but have different meanings. People often say “walk pass” as slang for ” walk past”, which is incorrect.

When writing, it’s OK to use the phrase “walk pass” instead of “walk past” if you’re quoting someone. However, it’s inaccurate to use the phrase outside of a quote or when someone is speaking.

  • “Walk past” is the correct way to say you’re walking by someone or something or that someone or something has walked by you.
  • “Walk pass” isn’t correct English because it’s ungrammatical and has no meaning.

You can “walk past” something, or someone or someone or something can “walk past” you, but you can’t “walk pass” it. It would also be correct to say that you “walked past” something or someone (past tense). The two phrases can be considered homophones.

The word “passed” is the past tense of “pass”, but “Past” is an entirely different word with a different meaning. Although “pass” and “past” sound alike, they’re not the same word and have different meanings, so they should be used interchangeably.

Definition and Meaning of “Walk Past”

“Walk” is a verb that means to move forward on foot or advance by taking steps or to move at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn, never having both feet off the ground at once. “I walked across the lawn” or “I walked past a pet shop” are two examples of using the verb walk in a sentence.

  • It could also mean to guide, accompany, or escort (someone) on foot. “I walked my friend to the door”.
  • “Walk” can also be used as a noun meaning an act of traveling or an excursion on foot. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went out for a walk”. It could also mean a route recommended or marked out for recreational walking. For example, “there are picnic places and waymarked walks”.
  • In a legal context, to walk could mean avoiding criminal prosecution or conviction, being set free, or being found not guilty. For example, “he walked on the charges”.
  • Other definitions include pursuing a course of action or way of life, abandoning or walking out on a job, being in association with someone, or roaming or wandering.

When used as an adjective, the definition of “past” is gone by in time and no longer exists, “the danger is now past”.

But when used as a noun, “past” means the time or a period of time before the moment of speaking or writing, “I worked as a mechanic in the past”

The phrase “walk past” means to change your position in relation to something or someone by walking. If there is an object that you pass as you walk, you “walk past” it, which puts the object behind you.

How Do You Pronounce “Walk Past”

You pronounce the phrase “walk past” by sounding out its phonetic spelling wAWk pAHst.

How to Use “Walk Past” in a Sentence

There are multiple ways to correctly use the phrase “walk past” in a sentence; here are a few examples:

  • I walk past the fire station on my way home from school.
  • I was waiting at the bus station when an old friend passed.
  • I’d rather not walk past the shoe store because I’d be tempted to go in and buy something.
  • He walked past me without even saying hello.
  • I can’t believe he just walked past you like that without even saying hello.

Summary: Walk Past or Walk Passed?

The correct way to say you’re walking by someone or something is “walk past”. This is because past is an adverb that modifies the verb walk. If someone walks by you, another correct way to say it is they “walked past” you. The phrase “walk passed” is incorrect and ungrammatical and should not be used in everyday speech and writing.

“Walk passed” or “walk pass” are ungrammatical and incorrect. Past and pass are homophones, meaning they sound the same but have different meanings. Although sometimes people say “walk pass” as slang for ” walk past”, when writing, you should be grammatically correct unless quoting someone.

“Walk past” means to change your position in relation to something while walking. If there’s an object or person that you pass as you walk, you walked past them or it, thereby putting it or them behind you.

In summary, the correct word usage is:

  • “Walk past” is the correct way to say and write the phrase.
  • “Walked passed” is incorrect and ungrammatical and shouldn’t be used in everyday speech and writing.
  • “Walk Pass” is a homophone for “walk past” because it sounds the same and is often used as slang to mean “walk past”, but it is incorrect and technically has no meaning. It should not be used in writing unless quoting someone.

Avoid using “walk passed” and “walk pass” in your writing and everyday speech. They’re incorrect and ungrammatical. Use “walk past” instead.

The same rule applies to other forms of travel, such as “flew past”, “ran past”, or “drove past”.

If you have any questions or comments about the difference between “walk past”, “walk passed”, and “walk pass”, email any time.

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