What Are -ed and -ing Adjectives?

Many adjectives in English are formed from verbs by adding -ed or -ing. These are called participles when they function as adjectives.

• Adjectives ending in -ed, like bored or interested, describe a feeling or an emotion. They tell us how someone feels.
• Adjectives ending in -ing, like boring or interesting, describe the thing or person that causes the feeling. They tell us about the quality of something.

When Do We Use -ed Adjectives?

We use -ed adjectives to talk about how a person or an animal feels. They describe the emotional state of a subject.

• I was surprised by the news. (I felt surprise.)
• She felt very tired after the long journey. (She experienced tiredness.)
• The children were excited about their holiday. (They had a feeling of excitement.)

Common -ed adjectives include bored, interested, excited, tired, surprised, annoyed, confused, disappointed, embarrassed, frightened, frustrated, shocked, and worried.

When Do We Use -ing Adjectives?

We use -ing adjectives to describe the person, thing, or situation that causes a particular feeling. They describe a characteristic or quality.

• The news was surprising. (The news caused surprise.)
• The journey was very tiring. (The journey caused tiredness.)
• Their holiday plans sound exciting. (The plans cause excitement.)

Common -ing adjectives include boring, interesting, exciting, tiring, surprising, annoying, confusing, disappointing, embarrassing, frightening, frustrating, shocking, and worrying.

Key Differences and Examples

It is important to remember the core difference: -ed for the person experiencing the feeling, -ing for the thing causing it.

• The lecture was boring. I felt bored during the lecture.
• She is an interesting person. I am very interested in her stories.
• That film was really frightening. We were all frightened by the monster.
• My job is often frustrating. I get frustrated when things go wrong.

Examples

• I was so bored yesterday because the weather was boring.
• The children were excited to see the exciting circus performance.
• She found the book very interesting, so she was interested in reading more.
• His constant complaining is annoying; I'm very annoyed by it.
• The news about the accident was shocking, and everyone felt shocked.
• It was an embarrassing moment for him; he felt so embarrassed.

Practice

Common mistakes for Spanish speakers

A very common mistake for Spanish speakers is to confuse I am boring with I am bored. In Spanish, you might say 'Estoy aburrido/a' to mean you feel bored. However, in English:

• I am boring. (Incorrect if you mean you feel bored) This means you cause other people to feel bored. You are not an interesting person.
• I am bored. (Correct) This means you feel uninterested or tired of something.

Always remember: if you are describing your feeling, use -ed. If you are describing a quality of yourself or something else that causes a feeling in others, use -ing.

Frequently asked questions

Can -ed adjectives describe things?

Generally, -ed adjectives describe how a person or animal feels. While some past participles can describe the state of an object (e.g., a broken window, a finished project), these are not describing emotions. For adjectives describing emotional impact, -ed is for the experiencer, -ing for the cause.

Are there any verbs that don't form both -ed and -ing adjectives?

Yes, not every verb can form both types of adjectives in this emotional sense. For example, you wouldn't typically say I am eating as an adjective for a feeling, nor an eaten meal to describe something causing a feeling. The rule primarily applies to verbs related to emotions and states, like bore, interest, excite, surprise, etc.

How are -ed and -ing adjectives tested in the B2 First (FCE) exam?

These adjectives are frequently tested in the B2 First exam, particularly in the Use of English Part 3 (Word Formation). You might be given a base verb like 'bore' and need to decide whether to form bored or boring based on the context of the sentence. They can also appear in Part 2 (Open Cloze) or Part 4 (Key Word Transformation).

Related lessons

• -ed / -ing adjectives
• -ed / -ing adjectives