Language tip of the week: talking about feeling happy

In this weekly post, we bring more useful content from the Macmillan Dictionary to English language learners. In this series of language tips to accompany the Real Vocabulary theme we look at how you can expand your vocabulary in English by using different words and expressions instead of core vocabulary items.

This set of language tips will explore the words and phrases we use to talk about feelings. This week’s tip looks at some of the collocations and patterns that occur with happy and some ways to talk about feeling happy:

happy:
The children seem very happy at school. ♦ Anna was excited and happy about the baby. ♦ Are you happy living in London? ♦ They seem blissfully happy together. ♦ Money alone won’t make you happy. ♦ She gave him a happy smile. ♦ You look happy – what’s happened? ♦ One look at Dave’s happy face told her all she needed to know.
cheerful feeling happy and showing it in the way you look or behave:
You’re looking very cheerful today. ♦ a cheerful grin
in a good mood feeling happy:
I woke up in a very good mood this morning.
content happy and satisfied with your life and what you have:
When I last saw her she seemed quite content. ♦ I’m perfectly content to stay at home this summer.

Did you know that Macmillan Dictionary includes a full thesaurus? This page lists more ways to say ‘feeling happy‘.