Editing Past (section)

== Other uses ==
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The word "past" can also be used to describe the offices of those who have previously served in an organization, group, or event such as, "past president," or, "past champions."<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=past |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/past |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724153928/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/past |archive-date=24 July 2018 |access-date=27 August 2018 |website=Merriam-Webster.com |publisher=Merriam-Webster |format=Web}}</ref> "Past" can also refer to something or someone being at or in a position that is further than a particular point.<ref>{{Cite web |title=past |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/past |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827174135/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/past |archive-date=27 August 2018 |access-date=27 August 2018 |website=dictionary.cambridge.org |publisher=Cambridge.org |format=Web}}</ref> For instance, in the sentence, "I live on Fielding Road, just past the train station," the word "past" is used to describe a location (the speaker's residence) beyond a certain point (the train station). Alternatively, the sentence, "He ran past us at full speed," utilizes the concept of the past to describe the position of someone ("He") that is further than the speaker.

The "past" is also used to define a time that is a certain number of [[minute]] before or after a particular [[hour]], as in "We left the party at half-past twelve."<ref name="half-past-12">{{Cite web |title=half-past 12 |url=https://eightpastfive.com/half-past-12/ |url-status=live |publisher=EightPastFive |format=Web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230831141249/https://eightpastfive.com/half-past-12/ |archive-date=Aug 31, 2023 }}</ref><ref name="auto" /> People also use "past" to refer to being beyond a particular [[biological age]] or phase of being, as in, "The boy was past the age of needing a babysitter," or, "I'm past caring about that problem."<ref name="auto" /> The "past" is commonly used to refer to history, either generally or with regards to specific time periods or events, as in, "Past monarchs had absolute power to determine the law in contrast to many European Kings and Queens of today."

Nineteenth-century British author [[Charles Dickens]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Philip |date=5 June 2018 |title=Charles Dickens |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Dickens-British-novelist |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618153157/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Dickens-British-novelist |archive-date=18 June 2018 |access-date=27 August 2018 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. |format=Web}}</ref> created one of the best-known fictional [[personifications]] of the "past" in his short book, "[[A Christmas Carol]]." In the story, the [[Ghost of Christmas Past]] is an apparition that shows the main character, a cold-hearted and tight-fisted man named [[Ebenezer Scrooge]], vignettes from his childhood and early adult life to teach him that joy does not necessarily come from wealth.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 June 2014 |title=A Christmas Carol |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Christmas-Carol-novel |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827212341/https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Christmas-Carol-novel |archive-date=27 August 2018 |access-date=27 August 2018 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. |format=Web}}</ref>