unhappy
part of speech
adjective (unhappy, unhappier, unhappiest; also more unhappy, most unhappy); noun form: unhappiness
meaning for a pupil
1) Sad, not happy or cheerful. tree →
2) Not pleased or not satisfied with something (unhappy with a mark). tree →
3) Unlucky or unfortunate, as in an unhappy accident (a bit formal). tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life and school it names a feeling: a child can be unhappy at school, unhappy with a result, or unhappy about a decision. In stories it shows the reader how a character feels and often starts a problem the story must solve. In health lessons: if you feel unhappy for a long time, tell a trusted adult. Phrases: unhappy about, unhappy with, an unhappy ending.
examples
- The puppy looked unhappy when we left it at home. tree →
- I was unhappy with my spelling test mark. tree →
- Mia felt unhappy because nobody played with her. tree →
- The fairy tale had an unhappy ending. tree →
- If you feel unhappy for a long time, talk to someone you trust. tree →
- The neighbours were unhappy about the noise. tree →
- He is the unhappiest when it rains on his birthday. tree →
- Tell me; are you very unhappy?’ tree →
note
«Un-» means «not», so unhappy = not happy. Opposite: happy. Comparative: unhappier or more unhappy. «Unhappy with» a thing, «unhappy about» a situation. It is weaker than «miserable» or «heartbroken».
In the corpora
- The Rat: «We'll rescue the poor unhappy animal!
- I can't bear to see that poor beast so unhappy ...
- Glum, sad, miserable and heartbroken all mean unhappy, but each a different amount.
- Bored animals can become unhappy and destructive, so they need toys, play, walks and new things to sniff.
- Holding on to anger for days keeps you unhappy, so talk it through and try to forgive.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «unhappy» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.