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B1Adjectives

Participle Adjectives (-ed / -ing)

1

What is it?

Participle adjectives are formed from verbs and end in -ed or -ing. The -ed form describes how someone feels (bored, interested, excited), while the -ing form describes what causes the feeling (boring, interesting, exciting). This is one of the most confusing aspects of English adjectives for learners, but understanding the pattern makes it much clearer.

2

How to form it

SubjectPositiveNegativeQuestion
-ed (feeling)I am boredI am not boredAre you bored?
-ing (cause)The book is boringThe book is not boringIs the book boring?
-ed (feeling)She is interestedShe is not interestedIs she interested?
-ing (cause)The topic is interestingThe topic is not interestingIs the topic interesting?
-ed (feeling)We are excitedWe are not excitedAre you excited?
-ing (cause)The news is excitingThe news is not excitingIs the news exciting?
  • • -ed adjectives describe feelings/reactions of people: bored, interested, excited, tired, confused
  • • -ing adjectives describe what causes the feeling: boring, interesting, exciting, tiring, confusing
  • • People are -ed (they feel the emotion): I am bored, She is interested
  • • Things/situations are -ing (they cause the emotion): The movie is boring, The book is interesting
  • • Common pairs: bored/boring, interested/interesting, excited/exciting, tired/tiring, surprised/surprising
  • • Some verbs: amaze, annoy, bore, confuse, disappoint, excite, frighten, interest, satisfy, surprise, tire, worry
3

When to use it

  1. 1

    -ed for people's feelings — how someone feels about something

    "I am bored." / "She is interested in science." / "They are excited about the trip."

  2. 2

    -ing for things/situations — what causes the feeling

    "The movie is boring." / "Science is interesting." / "The trip is exciting."

  3. 3

    People are -ed, things are -ing — basic pattern to remember

    "I am tired (person) because the work is tiring (thing)."

  4. 4

    Can use both with people if describing their effect — someone can be boring/interesting to others

    "He is a boring person." (he makes others bored) / "She is an interesting speaker." (she interests others)

  5. 5

    Common mistakes — mixing up the forms causes confusion

    WRONG: "I am boring." (means you make others bored!) / RIGHT: "I am bored."

4

Common mistakes

I am boring when I wait.

I am bored when I wait.

'I am boring' means you make others bored. Use 'bored' to describe your feeling.

The movie was very interested.

The movie was very interesting.

Movies (things) are -ing. People are interested IN movies.

She is very exciting about the party.

She is very excited about the party.

People feel -ed emotions. The party is exciting; she is excited.

The work is very tired.

The work is very tiring.

Things that make you tired are 'tiring'. You become 'tired' from tiring work.

5

Quick reference

  • -ed = how people feel (bored, interested, excited, tired)
  • -ing = what causes the feeling (boring, interesting, exciting, tiring)
  • People are -ed: I am bored, She is interested
  • Things are -ing: The book is boring, The topic is interesting
  • Pattern: I am tired because the work is tiring
  • Common mistake: Don't say 'I am boring' when you mean 'I am bored'
  • Remember: You FEEL -ed, things ARE -ing
6

Natural conversation example

Two friends talking about a movie they watched

T

Tom

Did you see that new action movie?
S

Sarah

Yes! It was so exciting! I was amazed by the special effects.
T

Tom

Really? I was disappointed. I found it quite boring.
S

Sarah

Boring? The story was fascinating! Though I was a bit confused by the ending.
T

Tom

Yeah, the ending was confusing. And the movie was too long—I was tired after two hours.
S

Sarah

I can see how it might be tiring, but I was so interested in the characters.
T

Tom

Well, I'm not interested in watching the sequel!

Practice Exercises

Choose -ed or -ing form.

  1. 1.
    The lecture was very . (bore)
  2. 2.
    I am in learning English. (interest)
  3. 3.
    The news was . (surprise)
  4. 4.
    She is about the party. (excite)
  5. 5.
    The instructions were . (confuse)
  6. 6.
    He was with the service. (disappoint)
Order of AdjectivesAll TopicsGradable and Ungradable Adjectives

Now use Participle Adjectives (-ed / -ing) in real conversation

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