Collocations for sad - adj.

appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound
become, get, grow, turn
make sb
This music always makes me sad.

extremely, fairly, very, etc.
all, desperately, immensely, particularly, profoundly, unbearably
I called Dad, sounding all sad and pathetic.

a little, slightly, etc.
strangely

about
She was still feeling very sad about her father's death.

be, seem
find sth

extremely, fairly, very, etc.
an extremely sad story

deeply, incredibly, intensely, particularly, profoundly, terribly, unutterably
a deeply sad occasion

a little, slightly, etc.

Sad is used with these nouns:
affair, chapter, comment, day, demise, disappointment, end, ending, episode, event, excuse, expression, eye, face, fact, farewell, fate, indictment, irony, life, look, loser, loss, melody, memory, mood, news, note, occasion, part, plight, reality, reflection, reminder, saga, sight, smile, song, spectacle, story, tale, testament, thing, thought, time, truth, tune, voice