When it comes to writing, it’s important to understand the difference between similar-sounding words that have different meanings. One such pair that often causes confusion is walks past vs. passed. While these words sound similar, they have entirely different meanings and should not be used interchangeably.
Walks Past
Walks past is a phrase that describes an action of moving by someone or something that is stationary. It means to move by a person or object, such as a building or a park bench, without stopping. For example, “I walked past the coffee shop on my way to work.”
In this sentence, the person is simply stating that they moved by the coffee shop without stopping or going inside. This phrase can be used to describe any situation where someone moves by something without interacting with it.
Passed
Passed, on the other hand, means to go past something or someone in motion. It is often used to describe the action of moving past another person, vehicle, or object. Similar to “walks past,” “passing” indicates motion. For example, “I passed the car on the highway because it was going too slow.”
This sentence indicates that the speaker was driving on the highway and moved faster than another car, so they moved in front of it. The two words passed and past are different forms of the same verb-to pass.
Usage and Examples
Now that we understand the difference between walks past and passed let’s look at some examples where these phrases are properly used.
Walks Past:
“Every morning, I walk past the park on my way to work.”
In this example, the speaker is indicating that they walk by or move past the park every day on their way to work. They’re not indicating that they stop or interact with the park in any way.
Passed:
“Yesterday, I passed the green car on the highway.”
In this example, the speaker is indicating that they overtook the car on the highway to pass it, meaning they moved faster than the car in front of them.
Importance of Proper Usage
It might seem like these two phrases are interchangeable, but using “walks past” instead of passed can lead to confusion in communication. These phrases have different meanings, and properly understanding and using them can help you communicate your message effectively. Using the right phrase will help others understand exactly what you mean.
SEO Optimization
If you’re writing content for a website, it’s important to consider search engine optimization (SEO). This means optimizing your content to improve its visibility in search engine results. In order to properly do this, you need to include keywords that people commonly search for when looking for information related to your topic.
Keywords such as “walks past,” “passed,” “walking,” “moving,” “motion,” and “going past” can be used to optimize your content.
Let’s take a look at an example of an optimised paragraph:
“Moving through the city requires walking past countless landmarks and famous buildings. Tourists can spend hours simply moving past cultural monuments and historical structures. Although the act of walks past something is simple, the context to pass is broad; for example, passing people in a mall, passing a train while driving, or passing food across the dinner table.”
Audience
Finally, it’s important to consider your audience when writing. While you may be familiar with the difference between walks past vs passed, your audience may not be. Make sure to write concisely and include examples that help the reader understand the proper usage of these phrases.
In conclusion, walks past and passed are two distinct phrases that should not be used interchangeably. Understanding the differences between the two and using them properly can greatly improve communication. By including relevant keywords and considering your audience, you can write content that is both optimized for SEO and easily understandable for readers.