While using any term in a sentence we find that it is used as different parts of speech. Now we will discuss in this article if “happy’’ acts as an adjective, noun, or adverb.
The term “happy’’ having the meanings cheerful, pleasing, glad, delightful, joyful, and so on can be used as an adjective for its function is noticeable as a modifier. It is also used as a noun with the forms “happy’’ or “happiness’’ and as an adverb in the form “happily’’.
Now we will go through more discussions on the fact of how the word “happy” acts as an adjective, noun, or adverb along with examples and explanations for learning well.
When is “happy” an adjective?
Any member of the class of words that primarily describes a particular quality of nouns is an adjective. Let us find out if the term “happy’’ is an adjective.
We can surely apply the term “happy’’ as an adjective when it is employed it conveys the action of modifying the quality of a naming word and its reference. Its comparative and superlative forms are happier and happiest.
The tabular format will show when we can insert “happy’’ in a sentence as an adjective.
| Aspects of “happy’’ being an adjective | Example | Explanation |
| 1. To show the satisfaction that something is good or right, and therefore not worried about it | Manju’s parents are happy to know that she has achieved a good position in the competition. | The term “happy’’ in the cited example is working as an adjective that describes the word “parents’’. It shows that the girl’s parents are happy after her achievement. |
| 2. To show a feeling of pleased and satisfied | Sarah felt happy for the first life in her life. | Here the term “happy’’ works as an adjective that describes the noun “Sarah’’ and gives the clue that she is happy for the first time in her life. |
| 3. To show enjoyable times, events, experiences, etc that make people feel happy | We wish the teacher a happy retirement. | In the example cited here, the usage of the term “happy’’ shows our wish and acts as a describing word. |
Is “happy’’ a descriptive adjective?
Among the eight categories of adjectives, the descriptive adjective is one that describes other words. Let’s see if “happy’’ is a descriptive adjective.
The term “happy’’ is obviously regarded as a descriptive adjective because it has the ability to act as a describing word of the naming words or its references.
When is “happy” a descriptive adjective?
The term “happy” is considered as a descriptive adjective when it is used to express the profound joy and pleasure of a naming word.
The tabular format contains examples of “happy’’ as a descriptive adjective.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. Though Rahul is poor, he is very happy. | The predicative adjective “happy’’ is used as a descriptive adjective that provides a description of the naming word “Rahul’’. |
| 2. There are ten members in the family who look extremely happy. | Here in the sentence the word “happy’’ acts as a describing adjective by modifying the noun “members’’. |
| 3. We had a very happy childhood. | The term “happy’’ is used as a descriptive adjective by describing the condition of our “childhood’’. |
| 4. My friend Sumit is happy with his new job at a famous company. | Here “happy’’ can act as a descriptive adjective because it describes my friend Sumit’s mental joy after getting a new job. |
| 5. I was very happy to receive many nice gifts on my birthday. | The term “happy’’ has been used as a descriptive adjective because it describes my enjoyment of receiving many nice gifts on my birthday. |
| 6. Your decision to stand by the poor of the locality made the members of your family happy. | Here it is evident that the term “happy’’ is acting as a descriptive adjective because it has the function of describing the family members. |
| 7. The teacher was happy to get all the correct answers from the students. | The term here “happy’’ is used as a descriptive adjective that modifies the naming word “teacher’’. |
Is “happy’’ a noun?
A noun besides names any person or thing that provides us with any feeling or thought. Here we are going to check if “happy’’ is a noun.
The term “happy’’ cannot be inserted as a noun in a sentence. It is used as a noun in the form “happiness’’ that is made by adding the suffix “ness’’ with the root word removing “y’’. It then shows the meanings of gladness or pleasure.
When is “happy’’ a noun?
The term “happiness’’ is considered as a noun when it refers to the feeling of being happy. It is used as a noun in the following situations.
- “Happiness” is a noun when we refer to joy, the emotion of being happy.
- It is a noun when we refer to good luck, good fortune, and prosperity.
- It can be a noun in the state of agreeable feeling or condition of the soul arising from good fortune.
Let us study how the newly framed word “happiness’’ is used as a noun in the sentences.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. When we visited the beautiful scene of snowfall, our heart was filled with boundless happiness. | The usage of the term “happiness’’ indicates that it functions as a noun that refers to our feeling of being happy after visiting the scene. |
| 2. I can do everything for the happiness of my parents. | Here in the cited example, the word “happiness’’ works as a noun that refers to my gladness to do everything for my parents. |
| 3. Naren hopes that he will make his home full of love and happiness. | Here the term “happiness” is applied as a noun because refers to the thought that makes the home full of love. |
| 4. The people of the interior part of the village live in pursuit of happiness. | The term “happiness’’ is used in the sentence as a noun that shows the joy of the people living in the interior part of the village. |
| 5. Saheb lost his happiness in life after the demise of his wife. | The usage of term “happiness’’ is applied as a noun that expresses the loss of joy and gladness after Saheb’s wife’s demise. |
Is “happy’’ an adverb?
A word that comes under the type of modifying a describing word, action word, or other adverb is an adverb. Now take a look at if “happily’’ is an adverb.
We are certain to use the term “happily’’ as an adverb that fulfills the categories of the modification of the describing word, action word, or another adverb.
When is “happy’’ an adverb?
The word “happily’’ acts as an adverb when its function indicates the modification of other parts of speech like adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs. In the situations that follow the word “happily’’ is used as an adverb.
- Happily’’ is used as an adverb When we are pleased about something.
- It is an adverb when we refer to something in a happy way.
- It is used as an adverb when we refer to something in a willing manner.
The examples in the tabular format below are on the usage of “happily’’ as an adverb.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. My parents have been happily married for thirty-five years. | The term “happily’’ in the cited example is working as an adverb that modifies the adjective “married’’ which shows how my parents have been living for thirty-five years. |
| 2. The poor people can live happily in the village with little income. | Here the term “happily’’ has been applied as an adverb that modifies the action word. It expresses the people’s enjoyment of living in the village. |
| 3. After constructing the small house the couple began to live happily there. | Here the term “happily’’ is used as an adverb that does modify the verb “live’’ here and we get the couple’s pleasure staying there. |
| 4. The hotel staff and the catering services will happily work to make guests pleased. | The term “happily’’ has been used as an adverb that modifies the action word “work’’ and shows the pleasure of the staff. |
| 5. In the story, the separated hero and heroine are reunited happily in the end. | Here in the given sentence, the term “happily’’ acts as an adverb that has the modification of the adjective “reunited’ gladly at the end of the story. |
Conclusion
The article has a description of the activities of the term “happy’’ as a noun and the noun and adverb forms are also explained. We can frame the phrases “happy birthday’’, “happy anniversary’’, “be happy for someone’’, “be happy to do something’’, and so on.