There are many different grammatical constructions and terminologies used in English. Let us use the word “tired” to delve deeper into this particular subject.
The word “tired” may be used as an adjective, noun, or adverb depending on the circumstance, the word the form of word that has been selected, or where it appears in a sentence,
Let us now study this subject in further detail utilising some information, concrete sample sentences, and explanations.
When is “tired” an adjective?
There are numerous situations in which a word like “tired” is employed in a variety of grammatical forms. Let us examine a single one of them.
“Tired” is considered to be an adjective when employed in a way that comes before a noun or happens to qualify one even if not placed directly before it.
Example: The tired judge asked the lawyers to hurry up and finish the case.
Explanation: The noun ‘judge’ has been rendered a certain quality to it which is provided by the adjective “tired” which is used as a descriptor right in front of it.
Is “tired” a descriptive adjective?
Distinct words typically fit under different subtypes of the adjective form. Let us examine one of them now.
“Tired” is a descriptive adjective because it characterizes or alludes to the state of the noun it comes before.
Example: A tired child walked up to ask and asked us if we could help him find his mother.
Explanation: The adjective “tired” that is used as a description directly in front of the noun ‘child’ has given it the property that it now has.
When is “tired” a descriptive adjective?
The adjective “tired” is considered to be a descriptive adjective when it helps to elaborate on a certain aspect or characteristic of the noun it is aimed to describe.
To further our comprehension of this subject, let us look at a few additional instances of the word “tired” that have also been discussed in the next column.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. The double role is the most tired trope used in movies since it is so overdone that audiences can see it coming from a mile away. | The noun ‘trope’ has been characterized by the adjective “tired” because as per definition it has been placed in front of it and also qualifies it. |
| 2. The tired teacher has continuously been grading papers for three days now. | In the example as shown, the adjective “tired” serves as both a qualification and a description of the word ‘teacher’ thereby transforming it into a descriptive adjective. |
| 3. A tired man knocked on their door asking if he could have a glass of water, a mall meal, and a bed to sleep in just for one night. | The adjective “tired” which is employed as a descriptor right in front of the noun ‘man’ has given it a distinct quality. |
| 4. The mother took her tired infant into a room to put him down for a nap. | In the example mentioned here the adjective “tired” helps qualify as well as describe the word ‘infant’, consequently turning it into a descriptive adjective. |
| 5. The parents of the twin babies were so tired that they immediately crawled into bed the minute their new nanny showed up to their apartment, so that they could make up for all the lost sleep. | The noun that is being described by the adjective “tired” in this particular statement is ‘babies’. Even though the adjective is not placed before it, it still qualifies as one. |
| 6. The students are tired as they are trying to get through this week with a lot of difficulty as final exams are looming on their heads. | In this sentence, the adjective “tired” is used to describe the noun ‘students’ which is. It still counts as an adjective even though it is not preceded by one. |
| 7. The tired kids lay down for nap time without cribbing since they had exhausted themselves from three hours of continuous play. | The adjective “tired” has been used to describe the noun ‘kids’ since it qualifies it and is used in front of it according to definition. |
Is “tired” an adverb?
Other than as an adjective, the word “tired” has another grammatical form. Let us look into what that could be.
“Tired” is considered an adverb only in certain circumstances and forms. This implies that when employed as an adverb, the word “tired” may need to take on a somewhat different form.
Example: The professor tiredly explained the concepts to his students for the sixth time since it was a difficult topic.
Explanation: As we all know, adverbs tend to further qualify other adverbs, adjectives and even verbs; and in this case the adverb “tiredly” serves that very function by qualifying a verb which in this case is ‘explained’.
When is “tired” an adverb?
The term “tired” becomes an adverb when it is used in the form “tiredly”. These words can only be used as adverbs if they have the suffix “-ly” at the end.
Let us examine a couple instances of this of this particular term being used as an adverb with explanations on the side to get a better comprehension of this.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. The staff tiredly asked all the audience members to calm down and be seated as they were constantly standing up to dance and that was strictly prohibited. | Once again, according to the definition of an adverb, the phrase “tiredly” serves this function because of the suffix “-ly.” |
| 2. We tiredly submitted our assignments just two minutes before the deadline as we procrastinated too much and only began working on it the night before. | Going by the definition on how “tired” may function as an adverb, the term ‘tiredly’ serves its purpose as one due to the ‘-ly’ at the end. |
| 3. They tiredly walked their way up the hill as it was their idea to book a hilltop resort without realizing that vehicles could not be used beyond a certain point as the slope was steep. | In this given sentence, “tiredly” can easily be considered an adverb as it has ‘-ly‘ as its suffix and also qualifies the verb ‘walked’. |
| 4. The employees tiredly asked their boss if they could leave as they had been continuously working on a project for forty-eight hours straight and that too without sleeping a wink. | Given that it qualifies the verb ‘asked’ in this sentence and bears the adverbial suffix ‘-ly,’ “tiredly” can be deemed an adverb in this context. |
| 5. We all tiredly finished our task so that we could get home as soon as possible and would not have any work piled up for the weekend. | As we are all aware, adverbs frequently serve the purpose of further qualifying other adverbs, adjectives, and even verbs. In this instance, the adverb “tiredly” fulfils this purpose by doing the same which in this instance qualifies the verb ‘finished’. |
Is “tired” a noun?
Only when used in a particular way does the word “tired” serve as a noun. Let us investigate what that is.
“Tired” is considered a noun at very rare occasions and it can also be used as a noun in another grammatical form, namely “tiredness”.
Example: The tiredness you will imbibe from this exercise is large but it is totally worth it.
Explanation: Nouns serve as independent entities and do not qualify on their own; rather, they are qualified by other grammatical forms, as is clearly the case with the word “tiredness” here.
When is “tired” a noun?
“Tired” is a noun and so is “Tiredness” and they are recognized as such when they appear as either a subject or object in a line, as most nouns do.
In order to better comprehend this subject, let us examine some further instances of the noun “tired” being used in sentences that have also been explained in the next column.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. Nobody likes to go on hikes on this path as the tiredness that comes from it is immense. | The term “tiredness” here is not used to qualify other people or objects but is rather serving as a phenomena that takes place, hence by definition functioning as a noun. |
| 2. The tired are asking if they can use the common room to take short naps. | Over here, the word “tired” is used to describe a phenomenon that occurs rather than to describe other people or things, hence it is considered a noun by definition. |
| 3. I felt a lot of tiredness after returning from my long trip to Europe and took at least a week to recuperate and get back on my feet with more energy. | Over here the term “tiredness” is functioning as the indirect object of the sentence, thus undoubtedly making it a noun. |
| 4. We all felt tiredness from the new exercise equipment but I guess that is a good thing as it will help in keeping us all fit. | Here too, the word “tiredness” serves as the sentence’s indirect object, clearly making it a noun. |
| 5. The tired are going to sleep now so we must not disturb them since they all had a very long and arduous week. | Nouns function as entities of their own and do not qualify, but rather get qualified by other grammatical forms which is very much the case her with the word “tired”. |
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be determined that terms like “tired” have the potential to serve as adjectives, nouns, and even verbs if they are used effectively according to what grammatical function a statement asks for.
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