🔁 Bringing It All Together — -ed vs -ing Adjectives
A clear, theory-rich but friendly lesson for adult learners (CEFR B). Learn how to choose between -ed and -ing, see real-life examples, and practise with classroom-ready prompts.
💬 Introduction
Many students mix -ed and -ing adjectives. The difference is small but important:
-ed = how someone feels; -ing = what causes the feeling.
This lesson gives you the grammar (theory), clear examples from everyday life, common mistakes, and practical activities to practice in class or at home.
📚 Core Rules (Theory)
Use -ed when you describe the person (or animal) who feels something: I am tired, She was surprised.
Use -ing when the noun is the cause of an emotion: The lecture was tiring, The news was shocking.
-ing.⚖️ Side-by-side: -ed vs -ing
📌 Examples in Everyday Context (Mexico-friendly)
- The meeting was tiring. → We were tired after the meeting.
- The deadline is stressful. → I feel stressed.
- The kids are excited about the trip. (feeling)
- The trip is exciting. (cause)
- The beach was relaxing. → We felt relaxed.
- The documentary was interesting. → I felt interested.
🔍 Common Pairs — Quick Reference
🚫 Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them
- Wrong: “I am interesting.” → Fix: “I am interested.” (you feel the interest)
- Wrong: “The book is bored.” → Fix: “The book is boring.” (the book causes boredom)
- Wrong: “I am exciting.” → Fix: “I am excited.” (you feel excited)
-ed. If the answer is a thing/event → use -ing.🧠 Grammar Detail (Theory)
Linguistically, many -ed and -ing adjectives come from past participles and present participles respectively. Their difference is a voice distinction:
-ed(past participle used adjectivally) — denotes an experiencer or patient of an action: affected by external cause. Example: shocked (having been shocked).-ing(present participle used adjectivally) — denotes an active property of the noun: causing or producing the effect. Example: shocking (producing shock).
This distinction explains many patterns and predicts usage: when the adjective describes a temporary emotional state (patient role), expect -ed. When it describes an active property of a noun (agentive role), expect -ing.
✍️ Practice
- The movie was ________. (cause)
- I was ________ by the movie. (feeling)
- The lecture felt ________. (cause)
- She looked ________ after the meeting. (feeling)
✅ Quick Summary — Remember
- -ed = the person who feels (I am bored).
- -ing = the thing or situation that causes the feeling (The movie is boring).
- Ask: “Who feels it?” → use
-ed. “What causes it?” → use-ing. - For advanced clarity: think in terms of patient (ed) vs agentive property (ing).
Joe
You know, it’s funny—when I started learning English, I kept mixing up words like ‘bored’ and ‘boring.’ I’d say ‘I am boring’ and only realized later I was actually calling myself dull!
Ida
Oh, I totally get that! I remember once telling a friend ‘I am exciting,’ and they gave me the weirdest look. It’s such a common mix-up, especially because so many English adjectives end in either -ed or -ing, but those endings completely change the meaning.
Joe
Exactly! It all comes down to who’s feeling what and what’s causing the feeling. If you’re describing how you feel, it’s usually the -ed form. If you’re talking about what makes you feel that way, you go with -ing.
Ida
That’s a perfect summary. I always tell people to ask themselves, ‘Am I talking about a feeling or the thing that creates it?’ That one question can clear up so much confusion. Actually, let’s dig into some specific examples—because those really help it stick.
Joe
Alright, let’s start simple: ‘I am bored’ versus ‘The movie is boring.’ The first talks about your feeling, the second about what’s causing it. Pretty straightforward once you see it side by side.
Ida
It’s super clear with those. But I think where people get tripped up is when the subject isn’t obvious. For instance, if you say, ‘The news was shocking,’ you’re not saying the news felt anything—it’s the thing causing the shock.
Joe
Right, and on the flip side, if you say, ‘I was shocked by the news,’ you’re describing your own emotional reaction to it. It’s all about identifying who’s on the receiving end, and who’s the source.
Ida
What really helps me is to swap in other word pairs, like ‘interested’ and ‘interesting.’ You’d never say, ‘I am interesting in learning English,’ unless you want to sound like you’re bragging about yourself!
Joe
Exactly! Just like, ‘The children are amused by the clown,’ but, ‘The clown is amusing.’ It all clicks into place when you practice with real-life situations. Speaking of which, tired versus tiring trips people up a lot, too.
Ida
Oh, absolutely—’tired’ and ‘tiring’ might be my favorite example. Say you’ve worked a long shift: ‘The work is tiring, so now I am tired.’ One’s the cause, the other’s your feeling afterwards.
Joe
That really sums it up. And if you’re ever unsure, just ask: ‘Who is feeling the emotion?’ Use -ed for the person or animal. ‘What is causing the emotion?’ Use -ing for the situation, thing, or sometimes a person if they cause feelings in others.
Ida
And it works for all sorts of adjectives: annoyed/annoying, confused/confusing, excited/exciting. I love coming up with silly examples to remember—like, ‘The clown is amusing, and the kids are amused.’
Joe
Totally! If you keep practicing by building your own sentences, it gets easier every time. Remember, clarity is key, and thinking about cause and effect will always guide you to the right word.
Ida
So next time you’re about to describe your feeling or something’s effect on you, pause for a second and ask yourself those quick questions. It’s a small step, but it makes your English sound so much more natural.
Joe
Let’s throw in a quick challenge. I’ll say a sentence, and you tell me if it needs the -ed or -ing form. Ready? ‘The rollercoaster was…?’
Ida
That one’s ‘exciting’—the rollercoaster is the cause of all the excitement. Now, here’s another: ‘We were all ______ to try it.’
Joe
That’s got to be ‘excited.’ The people were feeling it! Alright—how about this: ‘The instructions are _____.’
Ida
Those would be ‘confusing.’ The instructions are making me scratch my head every time.
Joe
Exactly! A little practice goes a long way. Keep playing with these, and soon you’ll spot the right form instantly.
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