Adjectives ending in -ed and –ing

-ed and –ing adjectives

Adjectives that end ‘-ed’ (e.g. ‘bored’, ‘interested’) and adjectives that
end ‘-ing’ (e.g. ‘boring’, ‘interesting’) are often confused.

-ed adjectives

Adjectives that end ‘-ed’ describe emotions – they tell us how people feel
about something.

 I was very bored in the maths lesson. I almost fell asleep.

 He was surprised to see Helen. She’d told him she was going to
Australia.
 Feeling tired and depressed, he went to bed.

-ing adjectives

Adjectives that end ‘-ing’ describe the thing that causes the emotion – a
boring lesson makes you feel bored.

 Have you seen that film? It’s absolutely terrifying.

 I could listen to him for hours. He’s one of the most interesting
people I’ve ever met.
 I can’t eat this! It’s disgusting! What is it?

Remember that people can be boring but only if they make other people
feel bored.

 He talks about the weather for hours. He’s so boring.

 NOT I was very boring at the party so I went home.

Here are some more adjectives that can have both an ‘-ed’ and an ‘-ing’
form

 amused
 amusing
 annoyed
 annoying
 confused
 confusing
 disappointed
  disappointing
 excited
 exciting
 exhausted
 exhausting
 frightened
 frightening
 satisfied
 satisfying
 shocked
 shocking
ing or ed Adjectives (-ed veya -ing eki alan Sıfatlar)

“-ING” or “-ED” ADJECTIVES

 (-ed veya -ing eki alan sıfatlar)
 Bazı his bildiren fiillere –ing veya –ed ekleyerek sıfat oluşturulabilir.
 –ing ile yapılan sıfatlar, bir duyguya sebep olan varlıkları nitelemek için
kullanılır.
 –ing nesnelerde , –ed kişilerde kullanılır.
 The book was boring. (Kitap sıkıcı)
 I am bored. (Ben sıkıldım)
 I saw a frightening dog.
 (Korkutucu bir köpek gördüm. Bu cümlede frightening, korkutucu, korkuya sebep olan
 anlamında dog kelimesini nitelemiştir.)
 Başka örnekler:
 The film is exciting. This is an exciting film.
 (Film heyacan verici. Bu heyecan verici bir film)
 The lesson was very boring.
 (Ders çok sıkıcı)
 The book is very interesting.
 (Kitap çok ilginç)
 Being a footballer is a tiring job.
 (Futbolcu olmak yorucu bir meslek)
 The view is fascinating.
 (Manzara büyüleyici)
 -ed ile yapılan sıfatlar, birisinin duygularını ifade etmek için kullanılır.
 I was frightened of the dog.
 (Köpekten korkmuştum. Bu cümlede frightened, korkmuş anlamında I kelimesinin
 duygusunu, hissini belirtmiştir.)
 They are very excited. They’re going to go on holiday.
  (Onlar çok heyecanlı. Tatile gidecekler.)
 The students got bored.
 (Öğrenciler sıkıldı)
 I’m interested in badminton.
 (Badmintonla ilgiliyim)
 The tired footballers went to their rooms.
 (Yorgun futbolcular odalarına gittiler)
 The tourits were fascinated by the view.
 (Turistler manzaradan büyülenmişti)

 ADJECTIVES ENDING IN -ED AND -ING - -ED VE-ING

 When to use "-ed" or "-ing" adjectives can be very confusing.
(Sıfatlarda “-ed” veya “-ing” kullanmak çok kafa karıştırıcı olabilir.)

We use "-ed" adjectives to describe how people feel.
("-ed" sıfatlarını, kişilerin nasıl hissetiğini tarif etmek için kullanırız.)
 Examples
I'm bored with my job. It's always the same.
(İşimden sıkıldım.Hep aynı şeyler.)
 I feel very relaxed at the weekend.
(Hafta sonlarında çok gevşemiş hissediyorum kendimi.)
 She's not interested in sport.
(O spor ile ilgilenmiyor.)

We use "-ing" adjectives to describe the thing, situation, place or person
that causes the feeling.
(“-ing” sıfatlarını, o duyguya sebep olan şeyi, durumu, yeri yada kişiyi tarif
etmek için kullanırız.)
 Examples
The news is always depressing.
(Haberler hep iç karartıcı.)
 His latest film is really interesting.
(Onun son filmi gerçekten ilginç.)
 It was a really exciting match.
(Gerçekten heyecan verici bir maç oldu.)
There are many adjectives that we have in English that end in -ED or -ING.
Yes, that's correct, they are not only endings that we use for verbs!
An adjective that ends in -ING is used to describe: the characteristic of a person, a
thing or a situation.
An adjective that ends in -ED is used to describe: a feeling (or how a person feels)
or an emotion. It is used to describe a temporary thing. Since only people (and
some animals) have feelings, -ed adjectives cannot be used to describe an object or
situation.
Compare the difference:

 My girlfriend is bored. - (My girlfriend feels bored)

 My girlfriend is boring. - (My girlfriend is a boring person)

You can use these adjectives to describe people or situations but be careful that you
are using the correct adjective. For example, there is a big difference in meaning
between:

 I am confused. - (I don't understand something)

 I am confusing. - (I will cause you to be confused)

Note that the sentences below are to highlight the difference between the two types
of adjectives. They are NOT common to do or say because they sound repetitive.

 I was shocked by how shocking the accident was last night.

 They were frightened by the frightening roller-coaster ride!
 I am annoyed by how annoying that person in front of us is.
 Sally was confused by the confusing street signs in the city.

Example sentences of adjectives ending in -ED and -ING

 This grammar lesson is boring. I am bored reading all about these grammar
rules.
 I am tired right now. My flight was tiring (because it was a twelve-hour flight).
 Public toilets are usually disgusting. I am disgusted by the smell in some of
them.
 Your speech was very inspiring. I am now inspired to do wonderful things
with my life.
Summary chart

List of Adjectives ending in -ED and -ING

There is quite a long list of adjectives ending in -ED and -ING in English, and most
of them are based on a verb that can be changed into an adjective by adding either -
ED or -ING.
Some of the more common ones include:

 Alarmed - Alarming
 Aggravated - Aggravating
 Amused - Amusing
 Annoyed - Annoying
 Astonished - Astonishing
 Astounded - Astounding
 Bored - Boring
 Captivated - Captivating
 Challenged - Challenging
 Charmed - Charming
 Comforted - Comforting
 Confused - Confusing
 Convinced - Convincing
 Depressed - Depressing
 Disappointed - Disappointing
 Discouraged - Discouraging
 Disgusted - Disgusting
 Distressed - Distressing
 Disturbed - Disturbing
 Embarrassed - Embarrassing
 Encouraged - Encouraging
 Entertained - Entertaining
 Excited - Exciting
 Exhausted - Exhausting
 Fascinated - Fascinating
 Frightened - Frightening
 Frustrated - Frustrating
 Fulfilled - Fulfilling
 Gratified - Gratifying
 Inspired - Inspiring
 Insulted - Insulting
 Interested - Interesting
 Moved - Moving
 Overwhelmed - Overwhelming
 Perplexed - Perplexing
 Pleased - Pleasing
 Relaxed - Relaxing
 Relieved - Relieving
 Satisfied - Satisfying
 Shocked - Shocking
 Sickened - Sickening
 Soothed - Soothing
 Surprised - Surprising
 Tempted - Tempting
 Terrified - Terrifying
 Threatened - Threatening
 Thrilled - Thrilling
 Tired - Tiring
 Touched - Touching
 Troubled - Troubling
 Unsettled - Unsettling
 Worried – Worrying
Confusing Word Pairs

Many students of English have found the following word pairs to be very
confusing. Knowing which word to use in a particular situation isn’t
always easy, even for native speakers. As a matter of fact, most
supermarkets here in the USA have an express checkout lane which
reads: “express checkout lane for 15 items or less”. Do you know what’s
wrong with this glaring error?

To help you identify which word should be used, and under what
circumstances, make sure you know the part of speech the word falls
under. Don’t forget that some words can be used as more than one part
of speech.

Word pairs:

As / Like
The best rule to follow is to use like as a preposition not as a
conjunction. There should not be a verb in the phrase following like. If
there is a verb, use “as if”. As should be used to introduce a clause, a
group of words with a subject and a verb.
Incorrect: It sounds like he is speaking Spanish.
Correct: It sounds as if he is speaking Spanish.

Incorrect: He looks as his father.

Correct: He looks like his father.

Incorrect: You play the game like you practice.

Correct: You play the game as you practice.

Among / Between
Use between when referring to only two things being considered,
and among when more than two things are being considered.

Incorrect: The money will be divided between Sam, Bill, and Ted.
Correct: The money will be divided among Sam, Bill, and Ted.

Incorrect: The final decision is among you and me.

Correct: The final decision is between you and me.
Bring / Take
The best way to remember the difference is to say that we bring to the
speaker and we take from the area of the speaker.

Incorrect: What are you going to bring to the party tomorrow?

Correct: What are you going to take to the party tomorrow?

Incorrect: I am still waiting for you. Don’t forget to take my book.

Correct: I am still waiting for you. Don’t forget to bring my book.

Farther / Further
The word farther should be used when something can be measured in
terms of physical distance. The first three letters of the word, far,
should remind you that this word is used for measurable distances
while further is used for situations that cannot be measured.

Incorrect: How much further is it to the school?

Correct: How much farther is it to the school?

Incorrect: I don’t want to discuss it any farther.

Correct: I don’t want to discuss it any further.

Fewer/Less
Fewer is used with countable nouns, and less is used with uncountable
nouns. Were you able to recognize the error at the beginning of the
lesson?

Incorrect: Express checkout lane for 15 items or less.

Correct: Express checkout lane for 15 items or fewer.

Don't feel bad if you have difficulty with confusing word pairs, even
native speakers can get confused.

Give it a try!

By Thomas Williams

Thomas Williams is a teacher at EC San Diego English School

Link: Adjective Word Order

Now choose the correct sentence:

 1 - He doesn’t speak ___ he writes.

like
as

 2 - She sings just ___ her mother used to sing.

like
as

 3 - My brother runs ___ the wind.

like
as

 4 - I can't decide ___ Rome, Paris, or San Diego.

between
among

 5 - What are you going to ___ back home with you when you
return?

bring
take

 6 - We can’t walk any ___.

farther
further

 7 - There were ___ students in class today.

less
fewer

 8 - Vegetables are ___.

healthy
healthful

 9 - Our decision ___ many changes.

effected
affected

 10 - Is Malta a better place to live ___ San Diego?

than
then