Adjectives that end in -ED and -ING

Adjectives that end in -ED and -ING

Grammar explanation

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

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.

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!

Multiple Choice

She's a big dog but you don't need to be ___.

• frightened

• frightening

Multiple Choice

The instructions for my new coffee machine are really ___.

• confusing

• confused

Multiple Choice

I loved my maths teacher! Lessons with her were never ___.

• bored

• boring

Multiple Choice

That shop never has any customers. I'm ___ it's still there.

• surprised

• surprising

Multiple Choice

The battery on my phone only lasts about two hours. It's really ___.

• annoyed

• annoying

Multiple Choice

I was ___ that I didn't get the job.

• disappointed

• disappointing

Multiple Choice

I'm reading a really ___ book.

• interested

• interesting

Multiple Choice

The children were so ___ they couldn't sleep.

• excited

• exciting