Is the word busy an adjective - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

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.

Examples of “busy” as a 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.

Examples of “busy” as 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.

Examples of “busy” as a descriptive adjective.

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.

Examples of “busy” as 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.

Examples of “busy” as a verb.

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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The word «busy» is an adjective, applied to a noun, pronoun, or
name.

The adverb form is «busily».

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English bisy, busie, from Old English bisiġ (“busy, occupied, diligent”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisīg (“diligent; zealous; busy”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian biesich (“active, diligent, hard-working, industrious”), Dutch bezig (“busy”), Low German besig (“busy”), Old Frisian bisgia (“to use”), Old English bisgian (“to occupy, employ, trouble, afflict”). The spelling with ⟨u⟩ represents the pronunciation of the West Midland and Southern dialects while the Modern English pronunciation with /ɪ/ is from the dialects of the East Midlands.^[1]

Pronunciation[edit]

enPR: bĭz’i, IPA^(key): /ˈbɪzi/
Rhymes: -ɪzi
Hyphenation: bus‧y

Adjective[edit]

busy (comparative busier, superlative busiest)

Crowded with business or activities; having a great deal going on.

Be careful crossing that busy street.
- c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:
  
  To-morrow is a busy day.
- 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “(please specify the page number)”, in A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC:
  
  Although they had but that moment left the school behind them, they were now in the busy thoroughfares of a city, where shadowy passengers passed and repassed; where shadowy carts and coaches battled for the way, and all the strife and tumult of a real city were. […] They left the busy scene, and went into an obscure part of the town, where Scrooge had never penetrated before, although he recognised its situation, and its bad repute.
Engaged in activity or by someone else.

The director cannot see you now: he’s busy.

Her telephone has been busy all day.

He is busy with piano practice.

They are busy getting ready for the annual meeting.
- 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], 3rd edition, London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], published 1719, →OCLC:
  
  And the first thing I did was to lay by a certain quantity of provisions, being the stores for our voyage; and intended in a week or a fortnight’s time to open the dock, and launch out our boat. I was busy one morning upon something of this kind, when I called to Friday, and bid him to go to the sea-shore and see if he could find a turtle or a tortoise, a thing which we generally got once a week, for the sake of the eggs as well as the flesh.
  But to return to Friday; he was so busy about his father that I could not find in my heart to take him off for some time; but after I thought he could leave him a little, I called him to me, and he came jumping and laughing, and pleased to the highest extreme: then I asked him if he had given his father any bread.
- 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], Pride and Prejudice, volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton […], →OCLC:
  
  After walking several miles in a leisurely manner, and too busy to know anything about it, they found at last, on examining their watches, that it was time to be at home.
- 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “(please specify the page number)”, in A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC:
  
  His hands were busy with his garments all this time; turning them inside out, putting them on upside down, tearing them, mislaying them, making them parties to every kind of extravagance.
- 1967, Sleigh, Barbara, Jessamy, 1993 edition, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, →ISBN, page 18:
  
  In fact she was so busy doing all the things that anyone might, who finds themselves alone in an empty house, that she did not notice at first when it began to turn dusk and the rooms to grow dim.
Having a lot going on; complicated or intricate.

Flowers, stripes, and checks in the same fabric make for a busy pattern.
Officious; meddling.
- c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii], line 130:
  
  I will be hanged if some eternal villain, / Some busy and insinuating rogue, / Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, / Have not devised this slander; I’ll be hanged else.

Synonyms[edit]

swamped

Derived terms[edit]

busily
busy as a beaver
busy as a bee
busy as a nailer
busy beaver
busy beaver function
busy bee
busy body
busy box
busy little beaver
busy loop
busy signal
busy work
busy-ness
busy-work
busybody
busyness
ever-busy
fast busy signal
get busy
I’m busy
the line is busy
Wheal Busy

Translations[edit]

crowded with business or activities

Arabic: مَشْغُول‎ (mašḡūl)
Chinese:

Cantonese: 忙 (mong⁴), 唔得閒／唔得闲 (m⁴ dak¹ haan⁴)

Mandarin: 忙 (zh) (máng), 繁忙 (zh) (fánmáng)

Min Dong: 忙 (mòng)
Danish: befærdet
Dutch: druk (nl)
Esperanto: homplena
Finnish: vilkas (fi) (of traffic)
French: occupé (fr)
Galician: ocupado m
German: beschäftigt (de)
Greek: πολυσύχναστος (el) (polysýchnastos)

Ancient: ἄσχολος (áskholos)
Hebrew: עָמוּס‎ (he) m (‘amús), סוֹאֵן‎ (he) m (so’én) (literally), הוֹמֶה‎ m (homé) (literally)
Hungarian: forgalmas (hu), (of traffic: “peak”) csúcs- (hu)
Indonesian: sibuk (id), ramai (id)
Irish: broidiúil
Italian: indaffarato (it)
Japanese: 繁華 (ja) (はんか、hanka)
Latvian: aizņemts
Malay: ramai (ms)
Maori: toritori
Plautdietsch: drock, beschafticht
Scots: thrang
Scottish Gaelic: trang
Slovak: rušný
Spanish: ocupado (es)
Swedish: livlig (sv), (traffic) livligt trafikerad
Welsh: prysur (cy)

doing a great deal

Afrikaans: besig
Albanian: zënë (sq)
American Sign Language: B@RadialWrist-PalmForward-OpenB@CenterChesthigh-PalmDown Sidetoside
Arabic: مَشْغُول‎ (mašḡūl)

Egyptian Arabic: مشغول‎ (mašḡūl)
Armenian: զբաղված (hy) (zbałvac)
Azerbaijani: məşğul (az), əlində iş olan, başıqarışıq
Bashkir: мәшғүл (mäşğül)
Belarusian: за́няты (zánjaty)
Bengali: মশগুল (bn) (mośogul)
Bulgarian: деен (bg) (deen), за́ет (bg) (záet)
Catalan: ocupat (ca)
Chinese:

Cantonese: 忙 (mong⁴), 唔得閒／唔得闲 (m⁴ dak¹ haan⁴)

Mandarin: 忙 (zh) (máng), 繁忙 (zh) (fánmáng)

Min Dong: 忙 (mòng)
Czech: zaměstnaný (cs) m, (of person) zaneprázděný m
Danish: travl (da)
Dutch: bezig (nl)
Esperanto: okupata
Estonian: toimekas
Finnish: kiireinen (fi), työntäyteinen (fi)
French: occupé (fr)
Galician: trang
Georgian: დაკავებული (daḳavebuli)
German: beschäftigt (de)
Greek: πολυάσχολος (el) (polyáscholos)

Ancient: ἄσχολος (áskholos)
Hawaiian: paʻahana
Hebrew: עָסוּק‎ m (‘asúq), עסוקה‎ f (‘asuqa)
Hindi: व्यस्त (hi) (vyast), मसरूफ़ (masrūf), मशग़ूल (maśġūl)
Hungarian: dolgos (hu), tevékeny (hu), szorgalmas (hu), serény (hu)
Icelandic: upptekinn
Ido: okupata (io)
Indonesian: sibuk (id)
Irish: gnóthach
Italian: occupato (it)
Japanese: 忙しい (ja) (いそがしい, isogashii), (in the middle of something) 使用中 (しようちゅう, shiyō-chū)
Khmer: រវីរវល់ (rɔvʊəl)
Korean: 바쁜 (bappeun), 바쁘다 (ko) (bappeuda) (predicative)
Kumyk: машгъул (maşğul)
Lao: ຄາວຽກ, ຫຍຸ້ງ (nyung)
Latin: occupātus, operosus m
Latvian: nodarbināts
Lithuanian: užsiėmusiam
Macedonian: зафатен (zafaten)
Malay: sibuk
Maori: toritori
Mongolian: завгүй (mn) (zavgüj)
Norman: embarrassaï (Guernsey)
Norwegian: travel (no), opptatt
Occitan: ocupat
Old English: bisiġ
Papiamentu: okupá
Pashto: بوخت‎ (ps) (buxt), اخته‎ (ps) (axta)
Persian: مشغول‎ (fa) (mašğul)
Plautdietsch: drock, beschafticht
Polish: zajęty (pl)
Portuguese: ocupado (pt)
Romanian: harnic (ro)
Russian: занято́й (ru) (zanjatój), за́нятый (ru) (zánjatyj), де́ятельный (ru) (déjatelʹnyj) (active)
Scots: thrang
Scottish Gaelic: trang
Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic: прометан, наметљив

Roman: prometan (sh), nametljiv (sh)
Slovak: činný
Slovene: zaposlen
Spanish: ocupado (es)
Swahili: bizi
Swedish: upptagen (sv), jäktig (sv), flitig (sv)
Tagalog: okupado (tl)
Tatar: мәшгуль (mäşgul’)
Thai: ยุ่ง (th) (yûng)
Turkish: meşgul (tr)
Turkmen: meşgul
Ukrainian: за́йнятий (zájnjatyj)
Urdu: مصروف‎ (masrūf), مشغول‎ (maśġūl)
Uyghur: مەشغۇل‎ (meshghul)
Uzbek: mashgʻul (uz)
Vietnamese: bận (vi), bận rộn (vi)
Welsh: prysur (cy)
West Frisian: beset
Yiddish: פֿאַרנומען‎ (farnumen)

engaged

Bulgarian: зает (bg) (zaet)
Dutch: bezig (nl)
Finnish: varattu (fi)
French: occupé (fr)
Galician: ocupado m
Georgian: დაკავებული (daḳavebuli)
German: besetzt (de), beschäftigt (de)
Greek:

Ancient Greek: ἐνεργός (energós)
Hebrew: עסוק‎
Hungarian: elfoglalt (hu), (e.g. line) foglalt (hu), (person) dolga van (literally “has business”)
Italian: occupato (it) m, impegnato (it)
Korean: please add this translation if you can
Latin: occupatus m
Maori: tāuteute, korewātea, arokē
Norman: embarrassaï
Norwegian: opptatt, travel (no)
Pashto: بوخت‎ (ps) (buxt), اخته‎ (ps) (axta)
Polish: zajęty (pl)
Portuguese: ocupado (pt)
Russian: за́нятый (ru) (zánjatyj)
Slovak: zaneprázdnený
Spanish: ocupado (es)
Swedish: upptagen (sv)
Ukrainian: за́йнятий m (zájnjatyj), за́йнята f (zájnjata), за́йняті m pl or f pl or n pl (zájnjati)
Yiddish: פֿאַרנומען‎ (farnumen)

Verb[edit]

busy (third-person singular simple present busies, present participle busying, simple past and past participle busied)

(Should we move, merge or split⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (transitive, usually reflexive) To make somebody busy or active; to occupy.

On my vacation I’ll busy myself with gardening.
(Should we move, merge or split⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (transitive) To rush somebody. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Derived terms[edit]

bebusy
forebusy
overbusy
unbusy

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

busy (plural busies)

(slang, UK, Liverpudlian, derogatory) A police officer.

References[edit]

busy at OneLook Dictionary Search
“busy”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

^ Upward, Christopher & George Davidson. 2011. The History of English Spelling. Wiley-Blackwell.

Anagrams[edit]

buys

Middle English[edit]

Adjective[edit]

busy

Alternative form of bisy

Источник

Pronunciation of busy: /ˈbɪz.i/

“busy” is an English adjective. An adjective modifies a noun. An adjective gives us more information about a noun.

We use “busy” to describe 3 different types of noun:

1) A person.
2) A period of time.
3) A place.

In this lesson, we will look at each one in detail with example sentences.

“busy” to describe a person

Meaning:
If a person is busy, they are working hard on something.
A busy person is giving their attention to something.
A busy person is occupied by something. The person is not available.

Examples:
Mark is busy in the kitchen.
Mark is busy cooking.

Notice the form of the above example:
busy + ING form of the verb
busy cooking

The verb in the ING form is the activity that the person is doing. It is why the person is busy!

More examples:

David is busy doing his homework.
David is busy with his homework.

Salesman: Hello, could I speak to Mr Jones please?
Secretary: No, I’m sorry. Mr Jones is busy in a meeting.

Mark: Would you like to go to the cinema?
Jane: No I can’t, I’m busy.

(In the above example, Jane says that she is busy but she doesn’t give any more information or explain why. She says she is busy as an excuse. This is a very common use of “busy” – to refuse an invitation.)

An expression with “busy”

to be busy as a bee.

bee

Explanation: A bee is an insect that works very hard gathering pollen and taking it back to the beehive to make honey. Bees are very active.

Meaning of the expression:
to be very busy.
to be very active.
to have lots of work or things to do.

Example:
Mark: How was your work today?
Jane: There were lots of customers. I was busy as a bee!

(This expression is only for a person.)

“busy” to describe a period of time

Meaning:
A busy period of time has lots of activity. Lots of things are happening.

Example sentences:

Next week will be busy.

Christmas is a very busy time of the year.

Mark: How are you?
Jane: I’m exhausted. I have had a busy day.

“busy” to describe a place

Meaning:
A busy place has lots of people or activity. There are often crowds of people.

Examples:

The restaurant is busy today.

I hate London. It’s always so busy!

This road is very busy.

(A busy road has lots of traffic. If a road is busy, you should be careful when you cross it.)

More lessons

The difference between AFFECT and EFFECT
Prepositions of time IN, ON and AT
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Past simple tense in English
Over 180 video lessons on our YouTube channel.

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Источник

Adjective

She’s busy preparing for her test.

Are you busy? Can I talk to you for a minute?

I will be busy cleaning the house.

I’m sorry I haven’t called. I’ve been so busy.

busy people who don’t have time to cook

I got enough work to keep me busy for a while.

He is a very busy person.

He’s been busy in the kitchen all afternoon.

My week has been so busy!

Is there any time in your busy schedule for us to have lunch next week?

Verb

the video game busied the child for hours

Recent Examples on the Web

But the kids are busy during the week, and Gilbert’s apartment is too quiet.

—Robert Weisman, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Mar. 2023

Don’t treat it like an obligation Execs are busy with full-time responsibilities of running their teams, making hundreds of decisions, traveling, and driving revenue (to say nothing of their hopes for a personal life).

—Brandon Carter, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2023

Fresh off his In Memoriam performance at the 95th Oscars ceremony, Kravitz’s schedule is as busy as can be.

—Thania Garcia, Variety, 24 Mar. 2023

On weekends, your neighbor is busy finding and storing food, mating, and hibernating while streaming prestige dramas on Netflix.

—Alex Baia, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2023

Meanwhile, the eldest child, Connor, is busy flushing money down the toilet in a long-shot bid for the presidency.

—Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2023

Here are 3 to try Why is March so busy at the Phoenix airport?

—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 23 Mar. 2023

Even if a location is not busy all the time, some locations were kept open for those who rely on public transit and need a voting center nearby.

—Josephine Peterson, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2023

Rather than patching the big hole in the ship, lawmakers are busy creating new ones.

—Kyle Whitmire, al, 22 Mar. 2023

While the battle carries on around Baú, the community busies itself with chores and pastimes.

—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2023

New President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has busied himself with budgetary questions, the central bank, and a gaffe here and there.

—Marina Dias, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2023

Moore also busied himself as a member of the Caltech board of trustees and as a patriarch of the electronics industry.

—Ashley Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2023

During her summer holidays in school and college, Khan would busy herself making jewelry out of thread, wire and stones and sell her pieces to students on campus.

—Sonya Rehman, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2021

The lightweight box-like device is small enough to sit on the smallest of bookshelves — or travel wherever a child wants to busy themselves watching shows and playing video games.

—Paul Schrodt, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 June 2022

That said, thousands of people descended on Park City, some there even to ski, which keeps the place busy the rest of the winter.

—David Bloom, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023

Body surfers kept the club’s security busy all night, and that included Wentz who fell backward atop the audience during the first song and stood on the security barriers near the end.

—Mark Guarino, Variety, 26 Jan. 2023

And as researchers and bioengineers busy themselves with expanding the realm of possible applications, surgeons and doctors have begun to use the technology at the point of care.

—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 19 Sep. 2021

See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘busy.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Источник