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-ing and -ed Adjectives
In English, adjectives that end in -ing and -ed have different meanings and uses. Understanding how to use these adjectives correctly can greatly improve your language skills.
General Rules
-ing adjectives describe the characteristic of a person, a thing, or a situation. They tell us about the effect that something has on our feelings.
-ed adjectives describe a feeling or emotion. They tell us how someone feels as a result of something.
Examples
-ing: The movie was boring. (The movie itself was boring.)
-ed: I was bored by the movie. (I felt bored because of the movie.)
Important Points
-ing adjectives often describe things or situations.
-ed adjectives often describe people’s feelings.
Common -ing and -ed Adjectives
Interested vs. Interesting
Interested: feeling or showing interest.
Interesting: causing interest; holding the attention.
Example: The lecture was interesting (it caused interest). I was interested in the lecture (I felt interest).
Bored vs. Boring
Bored: feeling weary and impatient because one is unoccupied or lacks interest in one’s current activity.
Boring: not interesting; tedious.
Example: The book was boring (it caused boredom). I was bored by the book (I felt boredom).
Excited vs. Exciting
Excited: very enthusiastic and eager.
Exciting: causing great enthusiasm and eagerness.
Example: The game was exciting (it caused excitement). I was excited about the game (I felt excitement).
Amused vs. Amusing
Amused: finding something funny or entertaining.
Amusing: causing laughter or providing entertainment.
Example: The clown was amusing (he caused amusement). The children were amused by the clown (they felt amusement).
Tired vs. Tiring
Tired: in need of sleep or rest; weary.
Tiring: causing one to need rest or sleep; fatiguing.
Example: The hike was tiring (it caused tiredness). I was tired after the hike (I felt tired).
Practice Exercises
Choose the correct adjective (-ing or -ed) to complete the sentence:
1. The book was very ________ (interesting/interested).
2. She felt ________ (tiring/tired) after the workout.
3. The children were ________ (amusing/amused) by the magician.
4. The news was ________ (shocking/shocked).
5. He was very ________ (exciting/excited) about his birthday party.