Dot's Gigglespot #12

What message are you sending to your audience?

Is it relevant???

Jen x

Grammar on the Porch #10

Is it just me or do high school English classes slide further and further away with every year? Thank goodness we have "Grammar on the Porch". Good old Grammar loves to visit The Letterbug from time to time for a nice cup of tea and a natter about the English language. She knows you know - really she does. But just in case...

Image kindly supplied by Toni Grote - visit http://www.artisttonigrote.blogspot.com/ to see more of her beautiful artwork.

Good morning dears! Grammar is so pleased you've joined us here on the porch this morning. Don't you just love the scent of freesias hanging in the air on such a sunny spring morning? It reminds me of a high tea I once attended at a manor house as a young lass. My my, spring fever was in the air that day... but that's a story for another day, he he he.

Today let's chat about the past. I hope by now that Grammar has passed on some valuable tips to you here on the porch. Over the past year or so we've nattered about there, their and they're, sipped earl grey over that vs which, me vs I, its vs it's and many more grammatical conundrums. Well, here's another beauty for you to consider...

Past vs Passed

Which past/passed is which? How do we use them? What time is morning tea?? Sorry dears, ignore that last question! Let Grammar shed some light on these two words for you:

Past - the word 'past' locates something in time or space. It can be an adjective, a noun, an adverb or a preposition. Following is an explanation and examples of each.

Past – adjective: gone by or elapsed in time
- It was a bad time, but it's all past now.
- the past glories of the boot-scooting craze.
- during the past year.
- three past presidents of the bowls club.

Past – noun: the time gone by
- Grandpa could remember events far back in the past.
- our bowls club's glorious past.
- Sometimes it's better to forget the past.
- That tattoo is a reminder of the past.
- When he left prison, he put his past behind him.

Past – adverb: so as to pass by or beyond
- The parade marched past.

Past – preposition: beyond in time; later than; after
- It's past midnight; nearly half past twelve!
- The pub is just past the petrol station.
- We went past your house by mistake.
- Grammar is past the maximum age for sky-diving.

Passed - is the past participle of the verb 'to pass'.
- To proceed, move forward, depart; to cause to do this. This can refer to movement forwards in time, in space, or in life (such as 'to pass an examination').
- The car passed us at extremely high speed
- I passed all of my exams
- He passed the basketball with an effortless flick of his wrist.
- The time passed so slowly while you were away.

Now then Grammar hopes that this will help to clarify the different uses of the words past and passed. Speaking of which, it is high time you passed the Tim Tams over to Grammar - all of this chit chat has made me hungry. Who would have thought, eh?!

See you next time...