pass away

No object

This verb takes no object at all.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: pass AWAY. Saying “PASS away” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

Link across the gap. The final /s/ of “pass” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “pass away” is said “pa-saway”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.

What it means

  1. To die — the gentle, polite form.

    formal
    • Her grandfather passed away peacefully in his sleep.
    • He passed away last spring after a long illness.

    Similar: die, pass on

The particle logic

Listen + practice

Hear “pass away” spoken naturally

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Read the sentence aloud. Keep the stress on the particle and run the two words together — we’ll score every sound and flag what to work on.

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More PASS phrasal verbs

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pass away — meaning, examples & how to say it