1. Grammar
  2. A1-A2 grammar
  3. Adjectives ending in '-ed' and '-ing'

Adjectives ending in '-ed' and '-ing'

Adjectives ending in '-ed' and '-ing'

Do you know the difference between bored and boring? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how adjectives ending in -ed and -ing are used.

I was really bored in that presentation.
That was a really boring presentation.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1

Grammar test 1: Adjectives ending in '-ed' and '-ing'

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Adjectives that end in -ed (e.g. bored, interested) and adjectives that end in -ing (e.g. boring, interesting) are often confused.

-ed adjectives

Adjectives that end in -ed generally describe emotions – they tell us how people feel.

I was so bored in that lesson, I almost fell asleep.
He was surprised to see Helen after all those years.
She was really tired and went to bed early.

-ing adjectives

Adjectives that end in -ing generally describe the thing that causes the emotion – a boring lesson makes you feel bored.

Have you seen that film? It's really frightening.
I could listen to her for hours. She's so interesting.
I can't sleep! That noise is really annoying!

Here are some adjectives that can have both an -ed and an -ing form.

annoyed annoying
bored boring
confused confusing
disappointed disappointing
excited exciting
frightened frightening
interested interesting
surprised surprising
tired tiring
worried worrying

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar test 2

Grammar test 2: Adjectives ending in '-ed' and '-ing'

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Average: 4.4 (235 votes)

Submitted by dugny36 on Thu, 05/05/2022 - 13:35

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Thanks LearnEnglish team
This lesson is very clear, but I am still struggling on these two adjectives : matched and matching that are not in the list. I don't know how to use them.
Thank you in advance for your help.

Hi dugny36,

'Matching' means having the same characteristic or a complementary characteristic as something else, especially something visual such as a colour or a design. Here are some examples:

  • My wife and I wore matching T-shirts.
  • James is wearing a shirt with a matching tie.

See the Cambridge Dictionary page on 'matching' here for more explanation and examples: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/matching

'Matched' is similar in meaning, but is mainly used for non-visual similarities. It emphasises the idea that the two items have already been put together. Some examples:

  • The players were evenly matched. (i.e., they had a similar skill level)
  • They have been married for years. They are a well matched pair.

I hope that helps.

Jonathan

The LearnEnglish Team

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Submitted by Marce-English on Mon, 25/04/2022 - 19:54

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Somtimes I feel confused about this rulers, but I'm learning...

Submitted by BT on Sun, 24/04/2022 - 07:00

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a tiring activity makes you feel tired

Submitted by Ehsanuullahalami on Tue, 12/04/2022 - 12:57

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I am excited about this lesson
It was a exciting lessons

Submitted by Murod on Wed, 06/04/2022 - 06:18

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Good day everybody
It is very interesting program. thanks for organisers

Submitted by bkocak34 on Tue, 15/03/2022 - 06:13

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Thank you for impressive education. I had annoyed for first test but second test was excited for me.

Submitted by MonierShowman on Sun, 13/03/2022 - 16:54

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Thank you for that
I'm exited to improve my English

Submitted by ahmedcmc on Sat, 26/02/2022 - 13:37

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Liked he contents and explain approach.Thanks

Submitted by jyoti Chaudhary on Mon, 07/02/2022 - 08:21

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This is a fabulous lesson. I'm extremely excited about it. Daily in the morning, I learn grammar. And I'm trying to improve it. This course helps me a lot.