Georgie Let's start with 'sad'. It's the most common and versatile adjective and can cover a spectrum of unhappiness, from mild to deep sadness. It can describe the human feeling, or something that causes the human feeling, like sad news.
Georgie It has a poetic feel to it and is more common in written English than spoken English. It's also more common in its noun form 'sorrow'. We could say someone is 'full of sorrow' or has 'a deep sorrow' after a loss.
Jiaying 是的,“sorrowful” 和 “sorrow” 听起来比较有诗意,在英语书面语中要比在口语中更常见。名词 “sorrow” 的使用频率要高于它的形容词 “sorrowful” 的使用频率。如果某个人失去了一个重要的人,我们就可以使用搭配 “full of sorrow(充满了悲伤的,满怀忧伤的)” 或 “a deep sorrow(深切的悲痛)”。来听两个使用了 “sorrowful” 和 “sorrow” 的例句。
Examples The funeral had a sorrowful atmosphere. (葬礼的气氛沉痛。)
The old man's eyes reflected a lifetime of sorrow and loss. (老人的双眼里尽显其一生的悲伤和失落。)
Georgie These adjectives are about an intense sadness which is characterised by a loss of hope.
Jiaying 是的,这两个形容词都强调了 “一种极为沮丧的,感到了无希望的情绪”。
Georgie Jiaying, you also used the word 'depressing' to describe the weather earlier.
Jiaying Yes. In London, it can be depressing when we don't see the Sun for a while. It makes me depressed! 来听两个分别使用了形容词 “depressing” 和 “depressed” 的例句。
Examples The documentary about climate change was depressing. (这部关于气候变化的纪录片令人沮丧。)
After losing her job, she felt depressed and struggled to find motivation. (失去工作后,她倍感消沉,很难找到动力。)
Georgie Now, 'miserable' is another extreme version of 'sad'.
Georgie It's often used with words like 'absolutely', 'truly' and 'totally'. Like 'sad', it can be used to describe the human feeling, or something that causes it.
Examples After breaking up with his girlfriend, he felt absolutely miserable. (和女友分手后,他感到非常痛苦。)
It was a truly miserable year for Sarah after she lost her beloved cat. (这一年对莎拉来说真的很痛苦,因为她失去了心爱的猫。)
Georgie Finally, let's talk about 'gloomy'. This one's interesting because it has a kind of literal and metaphorical sense. Literally, it means something similar to 'dark'.
Jiaying 形容词 “gloomy” 的字面意思是 “因光线不足而阴暗的,幽暗的”。
Georgie I said earlier that the dark clouds were making the sky look gloomy.
Georgie Remember, if you have a question about the English language you'd like to ask us, please send us an email. Our email address is: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk