PASS Phrasal Verbs · Academia VELA

← Back to Phrasal Verbs

Separable Object can go in the middle or after: "pass it on" or "pass on the message"

Inseparable Object always goes after the particle — never in the middle.

Intransitive No object needed — the verb stands alone.

Phrasal verbs with PASS

pass onSeparable

To transmit or give something to someone else; to decline politely; a euphemism for dying.

"Pass on the message when you see her." / "She passed on more than just recipes — she passed on her values."

pass outSeparable

To distribute something to a group; to faint or lose consciousness.

"She passed out cups of hot chocolate to everyone who arrived." / "He passed out from the heat."

pass aroundSeparable

To hand something to each person in a group in turn.

"She passed around the tamales, and everyone took one." / "Pass around the photos so everyone can see."

pass byIntransitive

To go past a place or person without stopping; to let time or an opportunity go without acting.

"Buses pass by every twenty minutes." / "Don't let this opportunity pass by."

pass upSeparable

To fail to take advantage of an opportunity; to miss a chance.

"She never passed up a chance to help someone in need." / "Don't pass up this opportunity."

pass awayIntransitive

To die — a gentle, respectful euphemism.

"Her grandmother passed away before she was born, but her memory lives on in the family."

pass throughInseparable

To travel through a place without staying permanently; to go through a difficult period.

"Travelers who passed through the town always stopped to eat at her kitchen."

pass offSeparable

To present something falsely as something better; to happen without problems (an event "passes off well").

"He tried to pass off a copy as an original." / "The ceremony passed off without incident."

pass downSeparable

To transmit traditions, knowledge, or possessions from one generation to the next.

"These recipes have been passed down through four generations of our family."

pass overSeparable

To ignore or skip someone; to not give someone the recognition or promotion they deserve.

"She was passed over for the promotion twice, despite her excellent results."

⚠️ "Pass away" vs "Pass on" — both mean to die, but "pass on" has other meanings too!
✓ "She passed away last year." → She died. (Only used as euphemism for death.)
✓ "She passed on last year." → She died. (Also a euphemism for death.)
✓ "Can you pass on the message?" → Transmit/relay the message. (NOT about death.)
✓ "I'll pass on dessert, thanks." → Decline politely. (NOT about death.)
✗ "She passed away the message." → WRONG. Only "pass on" transmits things — not "pass away."

Reading: Doña Carmen's Kitchen

📖 Doña Carmen's Kitchen

Doña Carmen Araya had passed on more than recipes. She was 81 and had lived her whole life in Guácimo, in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica.

Every Saturday, the family gathered in her kitchen. She would first pass out small cups of her famous cacao drink to welcome everyone, then pass around tamales, rice and beans, and sweet bread. For a few hours, the noise of modern life would pass by without touching them.

Carmen had always passed down the traditions of her grandmother — who had passed away before Carmen's own children were born, but whose memory lived in every dish. "Your great-grandmother never passed up a chance to cook for someone in need," Carmen would tell her grandchildren. "She used to pass off her talent as ordinary — but it was extraordinary."

For years, travelers who passed through Guácimo on the road between San José and Limón would stop and eat. Word had passed itself around the community — and eventually, the whole province.

One of Carmen's granddaughters, Lucía, had been passed over twice for a promotion at work and was feeling discouraged. Carmen listened, then said: "The people who passed you over today will pass by you tomorrow when you're ahead." Carmen had passed on more than her recipes. She had passed on her strength.

Reading comprehension — 10 questions