There are many words in the English Language that have different grammatical functions and forms. Let us take a deeper look into this phenomenon.
“Busy” can be regarded as an adjective or verb depending on the context and also the way it is placed in a sentence.
Let us explore a little more on this topic with the help of a few facts and examples.
When is “busy” an adjective?
As mentioned before a word like “busy” has a couple forms when it comes to grammar. Let us take a look at one of them.
“Busy” is considered as an adjective when it is used before a noun. Since adjectives are also determiners, “busy” must be used to determine the quality or state of a noun for it to be considered as an adjective.
Let us take a look at a couple examples on this topic.
| Examples | Explanations |
| 1. He is a pretty busy man so it is a little difficult to get a hold of him. | If when a word like ‘busy’ is used in front of a noun, as is the case here, it is automatically considered as an adjective. |
| 2. This is a busy street so you must cross it carefully. | Since the word ‘busy’ here as well is used before a noun and helps the reader in imbibing more information about said noun, it consequently functions as an adjective. |
Is “busy” a descriptive adjective?
There are many forms of adjectives in the English Language and “busy” is one of them. Let us take a look.
“Busy” is a descriptive adjective as it is primarily used to describe a certain quality of the nouns it is placed in front of. More specifically, it lends a description of a particular state of being to the noun that is used in front of.
Let us look at a few examples of “busy” being used a descriptive adjective.
| Examples | Explanations |
| 1. The teacher seemed busy so we did not disturb her at this hour. | Sometimes adjectives need not be placed directly before nouns to describe them. As long as they seem to have a direct descriptive function in reference to a noun, they are still considered adjectives, and one can see that with the way the descriptive adjective ‘busy’ has been used in this particular sentence. |
| 2. You must be prepared to be hired here since this field is full of extremely busy work. | The word ‘busy’ here provides a descriptive quality to the noun it has been used in front of, consequently rendering more information about the state or situation of said noun, making it, very obviously, a descriptive adjective. |
When is “busy” a descriptive adjective?
“Busy” is a descriptive adjective almost all the time. Since this particular word expands on the state of being of the noun it is used to describe, it functions only as a descriptive adjective. There are no exceptions to this case.
Let us look at a few more examples on this topic.
| Examples | Explanations |
| 1. She is the busiest person I know so we will have to set up an appointment with her. | The word ‘busiest’ serves as an adjective in this context since it is put before a noun and aids the reader in learning more about that noun. The superlative form of the word ‘busy’ has been used in this case. |
| 2. I am much busier nowadays than I was before due to my new job. | Adjectives do not always need to come before nouns in order to describe them. The usage of the descriptive adjective ‘busier’ in this particular sentence demonstrates that adjectives are still considered to be words that appear to have a direct descriptive function in relation to a noun. The comparative form of the word ‘busy’ has been used in this case. |
| 3. My father has led a pretty busy life since he was eighteen years old so I am glad to see him finally retire and relax. | It is evident that the word ‘busy’ in this context functions as a descriptive adjective because it lends a descriptive aspect to the noun it has been employed in front of, providing further information about the state or circumstance of said noun. |
| 4. My niece is busy since she is really intelligent so she takes part in many activities outside of her school. | It is not always necessary to place adjectives before nouns in order to describe them. In this particular line, the descriptive adjective ‘busy’ shows that adjectives are still thought of as words that seem to have a direct descriptive role in relation to a noun. |
| 5. We went to the busiest marketplace we have ever seen in our entire lifetimes. | It is clear that the word “busy” in this case too serves as a descriptive adjective because it gives the noun it is used in front of a descriptive aspect, revealing more about its situation or state. |
Is “busy” a verb?
Apart from an adjective, the term “busy” has one other grammatical form. Let us take a look into what that might be.
“Busy” is a verb when used in a certain way and context. It is important for this word to be used as an action being taken place by the object or subject of a sentence for it to be considered a verb.
Let us take a look at a couple examples on “busy” being used as a verb.
| Examples | Explanations |
| 1. We busied ourselves as soon as our boss walked in since we had not been working before that. | As one can see, an iteration of the term ‘busy’ has been employed as a verb since it is used within a context of being an action and not a descriptor. |
| 2. She busies her child with many extra-curriculars to increase his future potential. | Once again, a form of the word ‘busy’ has been used in a way to showcase action, consequently making it a verb. |
When is “busy” a verb?
“Busy” is a verb when it is used as a doing word, as most verbs, that is to be used in context of being an action put in place rather than describing the state of a person, thing, or situation.
Let us understand the concept of “busy” as a verb with the help of a few more examples.
| Examples | Explanations |
| 1. The kids have been busying themselves by playing many kinds of board games. | As one can see, the word ‘busy’ has been used as a verb because it is used in the context of an action rather than a description. |
| 2. The employer busied all his employees by delegating work in an efficient way. | Once more, the word ‘busy’ has been transformed into a verb by being used in a way that highlights action. |
| 3. I have been trying to busy myself to distract from the fact that my exam results will be released at 6 p.m. today. | When used in the appropriate context, as it is in this instance, the word “busy” itself can be used as a verb. |
| 4. We tried to busy ourselves with reading a book but ended up falling asleep instead. | Here too, the word ‘busy’ itself can be employed as a verb when used in the right situation, as it is in this case. |
| 5. The parents attempted to busy their children in order to calm them down but their efforts faltered as the kids were too excited to be around each other. | Again, it is clear that the term ‘busy’ has been employed as a verb because it refers to an action rather than a description. |
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be concluded that the word “busy” can smoothly function as an adjective as well as a verb, provided it is used in the correct context.
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