Let´s take a look at the different ways of expressing sadness in English. We have already looked at happiness, tiredness and anger, but today we are going to look at being say. We can simple say that “We are sad” or “We are feeling sad”, however, there are many other ways of expressing unhappiness.
Be sad
I am really sad today because of my exam results.
Be down
I am feeling really down today and I can’t get out of bed.
Be blue
Why are you looking so blue today?
Be down in the dumps
My brother is down in in the dumps after failing his exams.
Be depressed
I am feeling so depressed right now.
Be/feel low
I am sick of feeling low and I want to sort my life out.
Be upset
I don´t tend to get upset easily.
Be unhappy
I am really unhappy at the moment.
Be sorrowful
He is such a great actor he always seems to be so sorrowful.
Be miserable
What’s the matter? You look miserable.
Be glum
My father is so glum at the moment; I think he is having a hard time at work.
A little bit of grammar: GET + ADJECTIVE
The use of GET + ADJECTIVE is extremely useful in the English language because it gives the adjective a reflexive meaning.
For instance:
To get tired = I always get tired if I do too much overtime at the weekend.
To get angry = I get angry with my students when they don’t do their homework
For more examples, click HERE
Practice questions:
- Do you get upset about things that don´t really matter?
- Have you ever got depressed?
- Does your job or do your studies ever get you down?
- If you feel unhappy, who do you speak to?
- When was the last time that you felt glum?
