A word is an adjective if it qualifies a noun. A word is a noun if it names something. A verb is a term that shows action. Let us discuss to which of these “upset” belong.
The word “upset” is an adjective, noun, and verb. The word “upset” can be an adjective when it offers additional details about a singular or plural noun or pronoun. The word “upset” can be a noun when it names a feeling or emotion. The word “upset” is a verb when it shows a state of being, activity, or action.
This article will clearly explain to us facts such as how, when, and why the word “upset” can function as an adjective, noun, and verb.
When is “upset” an adjective?
Adjectives are descriptors that modify a person, place, thing, event, situation, feeling, emotion, idea, animal, etc. We shall here identify when the word “upset” is an adjective.
To know the instances when the word “upset” can be and is an adjective, let us peruse the following table.
| Instances When “Upset” Is An Adjective | Examples | Explanations |
| 1. When used to qualify a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun (mostly a person) who is unhappy, worried, or sad because of something or somebody | Varun was really upset when he lost the competition. | The word “upset” in this sentence modifies the noun ‘Varun’ (a person), thus performing the function of an adjective. The usage of the adjective “upset” conveys that Varun was sad and unhappy when he lost the competition. |
| 2. When utilized to describe a naming word (mostly individuals) singular or plural who is or are angry or disappointed at someone or something | The team members were upset by the rude remarks of the manager. | In this sentence, the adjective “worried” is qualifying the naming word ‘team members’ (a collective noun). The adjective “upset” tells that the rude remarks of the manager disappointed the team members. |
| 3. When utilized to modify a naming word (mostly body parts) that has some malfunctions or disorder | Latha did not eat lunch since her stomach was upset. | Here, in this sentence, the adjective “upset” is describing the naming word ‘stomach’ (a body part) in order to tell that Latha did not eat the lunch as she had some physical pain or disorder in her stomach. |
Is “upset” a descriptive adjective?
Adjectives fall into various types depending upon the extra details they give about the nouns they modify. We shall find out if “upset” belongs to the descriptive adjective type.
The word “upset” is a descriptive adjective because it describes the noun, pronoun, or noun phrases by stating their nature, state of mind, behavior, or characteristic features.
Example: The boy who was upset did not speak a word to anyone in the class.
The word “upset” is an adjective in this given sentence since it is qualifying the naming word ‘boy’ (a person). The adjective “upset” specifically belongs to the descriptive adjective category since it states the worried, unhappy, sad nature and state of mind of the boy who did not speak a word to anyone.
When is “upset” a descriptive adjective?
The word “upset” is and can be a descriptive adjective when it is telling about the worried, unhappy, disappointed, angry, or sad state of mind, nature, or behavior of a person or many people and also when it is stating the disorders related to the body parts.
To get a clearer understanding of the usage of the word “upset” as a descriptive adjective, let us go through the examples and their related explanations in the table below.
| Examples | Explanations – Usage Of “Upset” As A Descriptive Adjective |
| 1. Vihaan was upset about losing the quiz competition yesterday. | The word “upset” is a descriptive adjective since it modifies the naming word ‘Vihaan’ (a person). The adjective “upset” here conveys the sad and worried state of mind of Vihaan caused by losing the quiz competition. |
| 2. My mother was upset with my sister since she disobeyed her. | In this sentence, the predicate descriptive adjective “upset” is describing the naming word ‘mother’ (a person). The usage of “upset” here tells us the angry and disappointed state of mind of the mother which was caused by the sister’s disobedience. |
| 3. Even though her stomach was upset, she came to work because she had to do an important presentation today. | “Upset”, the predicate descriptive adjective in the given sentence qualifies the naming word ‘stomach’ (a body part). The usage of the adjective “upset” here denotes the disordered nature of her stomach with which she came to stomach. |
| 4. The children were upset that their parents were not spending enough time with them. | The descriptive adjective “upset” utilized in this sentence indicates the sad, unhappy and worried state of mind of the children as their parents did not spend much time with them. ‘Children’ is the plural naming word that the adjective “upset” is modifying here. |
| 5. Raj was very upset when he came to know that he was not selected for his all time dream job. | “Upset”, the descriptive adjective here describes the naming word ‘Raj’ (a person). The adjective “upset” is utilized in this sentence to denote Raj’s disappointed, sad and unhappy state of mind when he was not selected for the job he always dreamed of. |
| 6. When your stomach is upset, it is better you consume more fluid and light diet. | The descriptive adjective “upset” here is modifying the naming word ‘stomach’ (a body part) in order to convey to us that it is better to take a fluid and light diet whenever there is a disorder or uneasiness in the stomach. |
| 7. Jishnu is quite upset at the way he was treated by his own friend Vishnu at the party last evening. | “Upset”, the predicate descriptive adjective used here conveys to us the angry, unhappy and disappointed state of mind of Jishnu which was caused because of the way Vishnu, his own friend treated him at the party. In this sentence, the adjective “upset” modifies the naming word ‘Jishnu’ (a person). |
Is “upset” a noun?
While some words change their forms when they take up different parts of speech, others continue to have the same form. We shall here analyze if the word “upset” can be a noun.
The word “upset” is a noun (naming word), as there are times when it is used for the purpose of naming, thereby doing the work of a noun.
Example: You will never understand the upset your actions caused Ramya.
The word “upset” in this given sentence is considered to be a noun since it is performing the job of a noun by naming the worries and unhappiness that ‘your’ actions caused Ramya.
When is “upset” a noun?
The word “upset” is a noun when it names abstract emotions or feelings of unhappiness, worries, disappointment, or anger; when it names a situation, end, or a result that was not expected; and when it names a stomach disorder.
For a better understanding, let us go through the following table comprised of sentences where the word “upset” is used as a naming word.
| Examples | Explanations – Usage Of “Upset” As A Noun |
| 1. Your careless behavior is causing your father a lot of upset. | The word “upset” is a noun here since it is naming the worries and disappointment caused to the father because of the carelessness of ‘you’. |
| 2. An enquiry in front of the board members will only lead to more problems and upset. | In this sentence, the naming word (noun) “upset” is naming the unhappiness and troubles that will be caused when there is an enquiry in front of the board. |
| 3. Losing the overall championship trophy this year is definitely a great upset to our college. | Here, the noun “upset” is naming the college’s unexpected result of losing the overall championship trophy this year. |
| 4. All human activities including deforestation and pollution have contributed greatly to the ecological upset. | “Upset”, the noun in this given sentence, names the unexpected situation of ecology that has been caused by various human activities such as deforestation and pollution. |
| 5. Despite having a stomach upset, Ruhi made sure she completed the proposal on time. | In this sentence, the noun “upset” is naming the problem or disorder in Ruhi’s stomach, despite which she completed the proposal on time. |
Is “upset” a verb?
A verb is a word that denotes an action, state of being, or activity that has taken place, is taking place or will take place. We shall see if the word “upset” can act as a verb.
The word “upset” is a verb as there are places where it is used for the purpose of indicating or representing a past, present, or future state of being, action, or activity.
Example: Early in the morning, Nisha upset me with a piece of bad news.
The word “upset” here in this sentence is acting as a verb (action word) since it is representing the action of Nisha causing or making the speaker worried or sad with a piece of bad news early in the morning.
When is “upset” a verb?
The word “upset” is and can be a verb when it shows the actions of making someone unhappy, worried, troubled, defeated or disturbed mentally; when it shows the actions of disturbing or altering something that leads to problems; and when it represents the action of pushing something by mistake.
To know more about how the word “upset” is utilized as a verb, we shall go through the examples and explanations listed in the tabular column that follows.
| Examples | Explanations – Usage Of “Upset” As A Verb |
| 1. While cleaning the shelf, please be careful, do not upset the books kept on the shelf. | In this sentence, the word “upset” is a verb since it represents the action of knocking over the books kept on the shelf. |
| 2. Why do you always upset him by reminding him about that incident? | The verb “upset” here indicates the activity or action of making ‘him’ unhappy or worried by reminding him about that incident. |
| 3. Any last minute changes we do to the project might upset the outcome or output. | In this given sentence, the verb “upset” denotes the action of disturbing or altering the project’s outcome or output if any last minute changes are done. |
| 4. We upset our opponent right from the second round of the game. | “Upset”, the action word (verb) in the given sentence is representing the action of defeating the opponents by the speakers’ right from the second round of the game. |
| 5. Jai doesn’t eat sour fruits as they upset his stomach. | The verb “upset” here in this sentence shows the action of disturbance caused to Jai’s stomach by the sour fruits. |
Conclusion
This article, thus, in detail, explains to us how the word “upset” tales up the role of an adjective, noun, and adverb despite having the same form while acting as all these three different parts of speech.
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Hi… I am Sowndharya Jagadeeswaran, a university rank holder in M.A. English Literature. I have also done my master’s in Business Administration. Inquisitive as I am, my interest in action-oriented research helped me publish research papers in reputed journals. Now, as a career, I am an instructor where I teach young and adorable students the intricate technicalities of Public Speaking and Creative Writing. I also enjoy writing articles on topics I specialize and research in.
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