opportunities fly past every day

[keannu]

Is this "fly past" in "opportunities fly past every day" separated from "every day" or is "past" a preposition describing every day"? I think the latter, but I need your confirmation.

go1-41
ex) James Burke said, “I don’t believe that life presents you with only one opportunity. A person lives 365 days a year for 60-plus years. That’s a lot of days for opportunities to come along.” Yes, opportunities fly past every day, but they don’t do us much good if we’re not prepared to take advantage of them. It’s like the baseball player who doesn’t take the time to prepare and perfect his swing.

 

[SoothingDave]

I see "fly past" as a combination. Things fly past you. They do it every day.

 

[keannu]

I might be silly in this question again. Is it 1 or 2? I think it's 2, but you seem to be saying 1.

1.Opportunities (fly past= as an intransitive verb) (everyday) = They just pass by some unknown thing (everyday).
2.Opportunities (fly) (past everyday = as a transitive verb) = They fly (past everyday) as they fly (past people). = They pass by time(implied meaning)

 

[5jj]

#2 makes no sense.

 

[emsr2d2]

You need to understand the difference between "everyday" and "every day". Your examples require "every day".

 

[keannu]

Thanks, I only thought "past" functions as a preposition to have to be connected to "every day", but I found it "an adverb" to mean "passing by (with time)" without needing such connection through a dictionary.

 

[emsr2d2]

Thanks, I only thought "past" functions as a preposition to have to be connected to "every day", but I found it "an adverb" to mean "passing by (with time)" without needing such connection through a dictionary.

It relates to positioning, not time.

He walked past me.
Drive past the bank and you will see the hotel on your left.
The bus went past the queue of people without stopping.