Pass something over/on

Question

Does one pass something over/on to someone? If both 'over' and 'on' are possible with the word 'pass', then what is the difference between them?

Grammarfreak · Accepted Answer

fatimah0786 Does one pass something over/on to someone? If both 'over' and 'on' are possible with the word 'pass', then what is the difference between them?

Scenario: You are taking a coffee break at the canteen. You just sat down with a cup of coffee at the table. But the sugar bowl is at the other end of the table. So you say ' can you please pass the sugar?' (no prep is needed).

Pass over - is an idiom ( phrasal verb) which has several possible meanings. See here:

pass something over (to someone)

to send something to someone farther down in a line of people. (Each person hands it to the next.) Please pass this paper over to Jane. Would you pass this paper over to Jane?

See also: http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/pass

pass over (someone or something)

1. to skip over someone or something; to fail to select someone or something. I was next in line for a promotion, but they passed over me. I passed over the bruised apples and picked out the nicest ones.

2. to pass above someone or something. A cloud passed over our little group, cooling us a little. The huge blimp passed over the little community.

See also: http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/pass

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Pass On - is also a phrasal verb which has several meanings depending on how it is used in the context:

I'll PASS the message ON when she gets here. - I will let her know you were looking for her.
I think I'll PASS ON dinner tonight- I'm not hungry.
Her husband PASSED ON last year. - a nicer way of saying ' he is dead'.

Fatimah0786 · Answer

Thanks for giving a detailed answer.
While talking about death don't we usually use the expression 'passed away'? Can we use 'passed on' and 'passed away' interchangeably?

Grammarfreak · Answer

fatimah0786 Can we use 'passed on' and 'passed away' interchangeably?

I would say yes/ John passed away / on last year. Meaning is relatively unchanged. But I feel with 'away', the taste of death seemed stronger. It could be my perception.

Wilpeter · Answer

Yes, "passed on" and "passed away" mean the same to me. In England, my cousins use "passed" to mean the same thing, which I find confusing; since "passed" often means "walked past".

Pass something over/on

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