🌟 Defining -ing Adjectives: Describing the Cause of a Feeling
Learn how adjectives ending in -ing describe the thing, event, or situation that causes someone to feel an emotion.
💡 1. What are -ing adjectives?
Adjectives that end in -ing describe what causes a feeling. They point to the thing, event, or situation that creates an emotional reaction in people.
Example: The movie is boring. → the movie causes boredom. The movie is the source.
🔗 2. How -ing adjectives connect to situations or things
-ing adjectives describe qualities of nouns (things, events, people) that make others feel a certain way. If something creates a reaction, describe it with -ing.
🧭 3. Rule: Use -ing for the cause of the emotion
Simple rule: When the noun is the reason someone feels something, use the -ing form. Ask: “Is this noun causing the feeling?” If yes → -ing.
- The situation/thing = cause → use
-ing. - The person = effect (how they feel) → use
-ed(covered in the -ed lesson).
🎬 4. Examples of -ing adjectives in sentences
🚶♀️ 5. Example in context: “The long walk was tiring”
In The long walk was tiring, tiring describes the walk (the cause). The walk made people feel tired; it is the active source of fatigue.
Rule reminder: use -ing when you describe the thing that makes someone feel the emotion.
🎉 6. Example in context: “The party sounds exciting”
Exciting describes the party as something that will create excitement. The party itself is the cause; people will feel excited because of it.
Use -ing to praise or describe a thing’s power to create an emotional response.
🚫 7. Common mistakes with -ing adjectives
A very common error is using -ing when you should describe your own feeling. Example: I feel boring is usually wrong — you mean I feel bored.
- Wrong: I am boring. (means you make others bored)
- Right: I am bored. (means you feel the emotion)
😌 8. Correct form: “I feel bored”
When you describe your personal emotion use -ed. Example: I feel bored. -ing would instead describe the cause (e.g., The movie is boring).
🧩 9. Distinguishing -ing adjectives from present-participle verbs
The -ing form can be an adjective (the movie is boring) or part of a verb phrase (she is running). To test it: can you replace it with another adjective? If yes → it’s functioning as an adjective.
- Verb (action): She is running. (present continuous)
- Adjective (quality): It was a boring class.
🏁 10. Final summary & review
- -ing adjectives describe the cause of a feeling (the thing, event, or situation).
- Ask: “Is this noun causing the feeling?” If yes → use
-ing. - Use
-edto describe the person who feels the emotion (see your -ed lesson). - Distinguish
-ingadjective from-ingverb by checking whether it describes or shows action.
🏁 11. Practice
- The movie is very __________. (make people feel bored)
- After the long meeting, I felt __________. (tired)
- The news was __________ and left everyone shocked. (cause shock)
- She was __________ when she read the email. (feel surprise)
- That puzzle is really __________. (cause someone to feel challenged)
- Incorrect: “I am confusing about this problem.” → Correct: “__________________”
- Incorrect: “The speaker was bored everyone.” → Correct: “__________________”
- Incorrect: “She feels boring at the party.” → Correct: “__________________”
- Incorrect: “That movie was very excited.” → Correct: “__________________”
Joe
Hey, let’s kick things off with a question I get all the time: Why do adjectives ending in -ing matter so much in English? I mean, we hear them everywhere—boring movie, exciting news, confusing instructions—but people still mix them up constantly!
Alma
Honestly, it’s because -ing adjectives describe what actually causes a feeling, not the feeling itself. They’re like the spark, you know? Like, if a movie makes you yawn, it’s boring—the movie has that quality, and that’s what creates your boredom. The difference seems tiny, but it totally changes your meaning!
Joe
Exactly—and if you call yourself ‘boring’ instead of ‘bored,’ you’re saying you make other people yawn! I’ve seen that mistake trip up even advanced learners.
Alma
Oh, for sure! And what’s wild is that this rule pops up everywhere: books, people, situations. If it causes interest, it’s interesting; if it causes confusion, it’s confusing. Keeping that cause-effect link in mind makes your English sound way more natural.
Joe
Totally. That actually reminds me of a tip: whenever you’re not sure which form to use, just ask yourself, ‘Is this thing making me feel something?’ If yes—grab the -ing adjective.
Alma
You know, what surprises me most is how reliable this cause-and-effect pattern is. Whether we’re talking about a challenging puzzle or a shocking story, -ing adjectives always point to what’s driving the emotion—not who’s feeling it.
Joe
I’ve had something like that happen too when teaching—students describe themselves as ‘confusing’ when they mean ‘confused.’ It’s such a simple switch, but it’s key. The ‘confusing’ test is: can you swap in ‘it causes [emotion]’? If so, you need the -ing form.
Alma
Exactly. Like, ‘The party sounds exciting.’ The party causes the excitement, right? You’re not saying you feel excited yet—you’re saying the party is the reason people probably will!
Joe
Right, and the cool thing is, this works with just about any experience: ‘The walk was tiring’—the walk is the thing giving you that tired feeling. Or, ‘That noise is annoying’—the noise is the culprit.
Joe
Let’s be real, the struggle with -ing and -ed adjectives is so common. Have you ever cringed when someone says, ‘I am boring,’ but they mean ‘I’m bored’?
Alma
Oh, absolutely—and the meaning flips completely! Saying ‘I am boring’ tells the world you’re the reason others want to leave the party. Most people want to say, ‘I feel bored’—I’m on the receiving end of the emotion, not the cause.
Joe
Exactly! And what’s interesting is, if you focus on who’s feeling it versus what’s causing it, you get it right almost every time. Like, ‘The movie is boring,’ but ‘I was bored.’
Alma
And honestly, it’s a confidence boost when you get it right. Your meaning is clear, your English sounds smooth, and you avoid those awkward misunderstandings. Plus, this one distinction unlocks hundreds of sentences—you can describe your day, your feelings, and your experiences way more naturally.
Joe
Funny you say that—sometimes learners ask if every -ing word is an adjective. But some are just verbs in disguise! Like, ‘She is running’ versus ‘the running water.’ How can people tell the difference?
Alma
Great question! Here’s a trick—if the -ing word describes a noun, it’s probably an adjective. Like, ‘a confusing problem.’ But if it’s showing an action, especially after ‘is’ or ‘are,’ it’s a verb. ‘She is running’—that’s something she’s doing right now.
Joe
Exactly! I like the swap test: try replacing the -ing word with a normal adjective. If the sentence still makes sense, it’s an adjective. If not, you’re probably looking at a verb.
Alma
Yep, and just knowing this helps you build sentences that are clear and accurate. Suddenly those tricky grammar patterns seem way more manageable.
Joe
Before we wrap up, let’s run through those top takeaways one more time. If you only remember one thing from today, let it be this: -ing adjectives describe the cause, and -ed adjectives describe the feeling. That’s the golden rule.
Alma
Couldn’t agree more! And don’t forget to check: is the noun causing the emotion, or is someone feeling it? If it’s the cause, use -ing; if it’s the effect, use -ed. Practice this with sentences from your own day, like ‘the meeting was tiring, and I felt tired.’
Joe
Exactly! And keep an eye out for those sneaky -ing verbs—they look the same, but they’re about action, not description. Keep practicing, and this will become second nature.
Alma
You’ve got this! Every time you make the right choice, your English gets more natural and confident. Thanks for tuning in—and keep describing the world, one adjective at a time! If you enjoyed this free lesson, don’t stop here. Take our free English placement test and get a free trial week of our dynamic online classes. Discover your level, meet great teachers and start improving your English today. Click the button below to start your free trial week of dynamic online English classes. See you next time on English with Joe!