past
part of speech
noun (the past); adjective (past); preposition (past); adverb (past)
meaning for a pupil
1) The past is time that has gone, before now. tree →
2) Past (preposition) means going by something: he walked past the shop. tree →
3) In telling time, past means after the hour: «Half past three» is 3:30. tree →
4) Past (adjective) means just gone: the past week. tree →
5) Past also means beyond: past midnight, past the bridge. tree →
sense in the lessons
Interpretation: In the Prophets and Writings "past" can mean beyond reach: God's wisdom is "past searching out" and His deeds "past finding out". It also means over and gone, like winter in the Song of Songs. In the primary lessons: In maths: telling time: «half past», «10 past 4»; time before now; going by a place; «the past 3 days» is a number of days. In grammar: the past tense (walked, ran). In history: learning about the past. In stories: «long in the past», «she ran past the gate».
examples
- And this is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso killeth his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in time past; (Torah DEU.19.4, JPS 1917) tree →
- that the manslayer might flee thither, that slayeth his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in time past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live: (Torah DEU.4.42, JPS 1917) tree →
- And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke unto the house of Pharaoh, saying: 'If now I have found favour in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying: (Torah GEN.50.4, JPS 1917) tree →
- His discernment is past searching out. (Prophets ISA.40.28, JPS 1917) tree →
- Who doeth great things past finding out; yea, marvellous things without number. (Writings JOB.9.10, JPS 1917) tree →
- For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; (Writings SNG.2.11, JPS 1917) tree →
- It is half past 2. tree →
- The bus came 20 minutes past 8. tree →
- In the past 3 days she read 60 pages. tree →
- He walked past 5 houses. tree →
- In the past, people wrote with feather pens. tree →
- It's past your bedtime! tree →
- «Ran» is the past tense of «run». tree →
- Quarter past ten is 10:15. tree →
- Go past the church and turn left. tree →
- Suddenly there rode past another horseman. tree →
note
«Minutes past» an hour: add to the hour. «Half past» = 30 minutes, «quarter past» = 15. Trap: «the past 3 days» gives a number of days. Trap: past and passed sound the same: «passed» is the verb («she passed the ball»), «past» is the place or time word. Opposite: future; with time, «to» (quarter to 4 = 3:45).
In the corpora
- This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in time past.
- His discernment is past searching out.
- 'The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.'
- For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
- Who doeth great things past finding out; yea, marvellous things without number.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «past» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.