How do you use past as an adverb?
It can be an adverb when used alone to modify a verb, e.g. "He smiled as he walked past." However, this is usually because there is an omitted object (past me, past us).If used with an object, past is a preposition, e.g. "The mourners filed past the coffin." or "The inmate ran past the guards and escaped." or "it was two minutes past midnight."