Past vs By - What's the difference?
past | by |
The period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future.
* D. Webster
* Trench
(grammar) The past tense.
Having already happened; in the past; finished.
* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
, chapter=7 (postmodifier) Following expressions of time to indicate how long ago something happened; ago.
* 1999 , (George RR Martin), A Clash of Kings , Bantam 2011, p. 538:
* 2009 , , Glencoe , Amberley 2009, p. 20:
Of a period of time: having just gone by; previous.
* {{quote-news, year=2012, date=April 23, work=(The Guardian), author=Angelique Chrisafis
, title=François Hollande on top but far right scores record result in French election
(grammar) Of a tense, expressing action that has already happened or a previously-existing state.
beyond in place, quantity or time
* {{quote-news
, year=2012
, date=April 22
, author=Sam Sheringham
, title=Liverpool 0-1 West Brom
, work=BBC Sport
Near or next to.
At some time before (the given time), or before the end of a given time interval.
(Indicates the actor in a clause with its verb in the passive voice): Through the action or presence of.
* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=September 28, author=Jon Smith, work=BBC Sport
, title= (Indicates the creator of a work): Existing through the authorship etc. of.
(Indicates the cause of a condition or event): Through the action of, caused by, responsibility for; by dint of.
* 1874 , (Thomas Hardy), (Far from the Madding Crowd) , 2005 Barnes & Noble Classics publication of 1912 Wessex edition, p.109:
(Indicates a means): Involving/using the means of.
*
*:"I don't want to spoil any comparison you are going to make," said Jim, "but I was at Winchester and New College." ¶ "That will do," said Mackenzie. "I was dragged up at the workhouse school till I was twelve. Then I ran away and sold papers in the streets, and anything else that I could pick up a few coppers by —except steal."
(Indicates a source of light): Medium emanating from hot sources.
* 1945 , Neva L. Boyd, Handbook of Recreational Games , 1975 edition, ISBN 0486232042,
* 1960 , , (One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish)
(senseid).
(Indicates the amount of some progression): With a change of.
(Indicates a referenced source): According to.
(Indicates an oath): With the authority of.
Along a path which runs by the speaker.
In the vicinity, near.
* Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
To or at a place, as a residence or place of business.
Aside, away.
Out of the way, subsidiary.
As verbs the difference between past and by
is that past is while by is .As a noun by is
bee (insect).past
English
(wikipedia past)Noun
(en noun)- a book about a time machine that can transport people back into the past
- The past , at least, is secure.
- The present is only intelligible in the light of the past , often a very remote past indeed.
Derived terms
(Terms derived from the noun "past") * blast from the past * in the past * past anterior * past continuous * past historic * past participle * past perfect * past progressive * past simple * past tense * simple pastSee also
* preteriteAdjective
(en adjective)citation, passage=The highway to the East Coast which ran through the borough of Ebbfield had always been a main road and even now, despite the vast garages, the pylons and the gaily painted factory glasshouses which had sprung up beside it, there still remained an occasional trace of past cultures.}}
- That had been, what, three years past ?
- Some four decades past , as a boy, I had a chance encounter and conversation with the late W.A. Poucher [...].
citation, passage=Sarkozy's total will be seen as a personal failure. It is the first time an outgoing president has failed to win a first-round vote in the past 50 years and makes it harder for Sarkozy to regain momentum.}}
Preposition
(English prepositions)- the room past mine
- count past twenty
- past midnight
citation, page= , passage=But they were stunned when Glen Johnson's error let in Peter Odemwingie to fire past Pepe Reina on 75 minutes.}}
Usage notes
* The preposition past is used to tell the time. The time 5:05 is said as five past five. 5:10 as ten past five. 5:15 as quarter past five. 5:20 as twenty past five. 5:25 as twenty-five past five. 5:30 as half past five. If we are aware of the approximate time, we can just use e.g. five past, ten past etc. See the example below. *: I thought it was about six o'clock, but it was actually ten past . * Compare with to (five to, ten to, quarter to, twenty to, twenty-five to) * See also: o'clockStatistics
*Anagrams
* 1000 English basic words ----by
English
(wikipedia by)Alternative forms
* bye (archaic for preposition and adverb, not used for abbreviation, preferred for noun and interjection)Preposition
(English prepositions)Valencia 1-1 Chelsea, passage=Valencia threatened sporadically in the first half with Miguel having a decent effort deflected wide by Ashley Cole, while Jordi Alba's near-post cross was flicked into the sidenetting by Pablo Hernandez.}}
- In other directions the fields and sky were so much of one colour by the snow that it was difficult in a hasty glance to tell whereabouts the horizon occurred.
p.16:
- Players: Can we get there by candlelight? ¶ Gatekeepers: Yes and back again.
- By' the light of the moon, / ' by the light of a star / they walked all night
Derived terms
* bit by bit * by degrees * by dint of * by one's lonesome * by oneself * by means of * by rights * by the book * by the by * by the bye * by the way * by your leave * by way of * do good by * do right by * hard by * side by sideAdverb
(-)- I watched as it passed by .
- There was a shepherd close by .
- The shop is hard by the High Street.
- [The helmsman] steered with no end of a swagger while you were by ; but if he lost sight of you, he became instantly the prey of an abject funk
- I'll stop by on my way home from work.
- We're right near the lifeguard station. Come by before you leave.
- The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring.