What part of speech is “past”

as a noun, 'past' refers to the time before the present or to history.

Let's not dwell on the past; we need to focus on the future.

The past of this country is filled with historical events.

Mistakes from the past can teach us valuable lessons.

when discussing history or a sequence of events, the noun 'past' can often be replaced with 'history' or 'background.'

as an adjective, 'past' describes a period of time that has already happened or a former status or role.

The past week has been very hectic.

He is a past president of the club.

In past years, the event was held outdoors.

when used as an adjective, 'past' often precedes nouns like 'week,' 'month,' 'year,' or specific roles like 'president' or 'champion.'

as a preposition, 'past' indicates movement beyond a certain point or time.

He walked past the library.

It's half past five.

The meeting went 10 minutes past the scheduled end time.

'Past' as a preposition can also be used to indicate an age 'He's past forty but still active.'