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.
