Adjectives ending in '-ed' and '-ing'
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
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
I am excited about the new job.
The new teacher is boring.
Hi teacher,
I'm wondering why in the Grammar Explanation it says that 'Adjectives that end in -ed generally describe emotions – they tell us how people feel.', but in the Grammar Test 1 we use frightened with 'my cat'. Can -ed adjectives also describe how animals feel?
Hello Ngoc64,
Yes, -ed adjectives can apply to animals as well. After all, a cat can be frightened just as a person can.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
I was so bored before I studied English courses.
Hello Renold,
Adjectives with -ing describe a characteristic or property of the thing we are describing. For example:
Dracula is a frightening book.
This is a very boring meeting.
Marathons are exhausting.
Adjectives with -ed describe a result or a response to a situation or event, such as a feeling a person has. For example:
I read Dracula and I was very frightened.
The meeting lasted four hours. I was so bored!
I ran my first marathon at the weekend. I still feel exhausted three days later!
It's a long time since I learned French in school but I think there is a similar distinction in your language expressed by -ant/-ante (-ing) and -é/-ée (-ed). as in intéressant vs intéressé. However, my French is very rusty so I may be wrong!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello! You should use "ed" to describe things that've happened in the past and "ing" to the present tense. By stating "this happened already," you're saying something had happened in the past. If you said "this is currently happening," you'd be saying something's happening right now.
I love this, so easy!
I can clearing to me the grammar