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'

Average: 4.4 (212 votes)

Submitted by Yi Mon Htet Aung on Fri, 31/03/2023 - 11:15

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I was surprised about her new song, because her vocal is really good and her dancing skill is so amazing.

Submitted by dollarbulldog on Sat, 18/03/2023 - 01:55

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Great explanation!

Submitted by mustafe3921 on Thu, 16/03/2023 - 21:13

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very good lesson

Submitted by Nguyentiep on Tue, 14/03/2023 - 09:55

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This lesson is really difficult, I don't understand when to use "ed" and when to use "ing". I tried to practice with the examples but I still don't understand them well. I'm worried about it. Who can help me with this problem? Thank so lot.

Hello Nguyentiep,

Could you please ask us a more specific question? I think we will be able to help you better if we can see how you are thinking.

If you don't know what to ask, please explain to us what you think the difference is between a specific pair of adjectives, for example, 'tired' and 'tiring'. We can then respond to help you understand.

Does that sound OK?

All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Submitted by francoandrian on Tue, 28/02/2023 - 16:23

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I made a lot of mistakes on this topic and this situation made me feel really foolish but today I have learned that if I'm in a confusing situation, I need to think twice.

Submitted by abdelrehim on Fri, 17/02/2023 - 20:59

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I am confused about talking and writing and talking in English with others

Submitted by zelenanate on Mon, 23/01/2023 - 15:14

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I am worried that I can remember the rule in this lesson.

Submitted by stephenwoods on Sun, 22/01/2023 - 22:47

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I'm a little bit confusing how to use the ed and ing but on the other hand, it's interesting. Thanks for the lesson.