past
Past can be a noun or adjective referring to a period of time before the present.
He never discussed his past.
I've spent most of the past eight years looking after children.
telling the time
In British English, when you are telling the time, you use past to say how many minutes it is after a particular hour.
It's ten past five.
I slept until quarter past ten.
American speakers also say after.
It's ten after five.
I arrived around a quarter after twelve.
going near something
Past is also used as a preposition or adverb to say that someone goes near something when they are moving in a particular direction.
He walked past the school.
People ran past laughing.
‘passed’
Don't use ‘past’ as the past tense or -ed participle of the verb pass. Use passed.
As she passed the library door, the telephone began to ring.
A new law was passed by Parliament.