-Ed and -Ing Adjectives: Bored or Boring? Interested or Interesting?
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use -ed for how you feel, and -ing for the thing that causes that feeling.
- Use -ed adjectives to describe a person's feelings: 'I am bored.'
- Use -ing adjectives to describe the cause of the feeling: 'The movie is boring.'
- Remember: -ed = internal state, -ing = external source.
Overview
- The lesson was interesting. (the lesson caused interest)
- The students were interested in the topic. (the students felt interest)
- She is a fascinating person. (she causes fascination)
- I was fascinated by her story. (I felt fascination)
- I am very boring (= I cause boredom in other people)
- I am very bored (= I feel boredom) -- this is what most people mean
Adjective Formation Table
| Base Verb | Feeling (-ed) | Cause (-ing) | Example (-ed) | Example (-ing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bore
|
Bored
|
Boring
|
I am bored.
|
The book is boring.
|
|
Interest
|
Interested
|
Interesting
|
I am interested.
|
The topic is interesting.
|
|
Excite
|
Excited
|
Exciting
|
I am excited.
|
The news is exciting.
|
|
Tire
|
Tired
|
Tiring
|
I am tired.
|
The work is tiring.
|
|
Confuse
|
Confused
|
Confusing
|
I am confused.
|
The map is confusing.
|
|
Disappoint
|
Disappointed
|
Disappointing
|
I am disappointed.
|
The result is disappointing.
|
Meanings
These adjectives are derived from verbs to describe states or characteristics. -ed adjectives describe a person's emotional state, while -ing adjectives describe the quality of the thing causing that state.
Emotional State
Describing how someone feels.
“I am tired.”
“She is excited.”
Characteristic/Cause
Describing the source of an emotion.
“The book is tiring.”
“The news is exciting.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subject + be + -ed/-ing
|
I am bored / It is boring.
|
|
Negative
|
Subject + be + not + -ed/-ing
|
I am not bored / It is not boring.
|
|
Question
|
Be + subject + -ed/-ing?
|
Are you bored? / Is it boring?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Yes/No, subject + be(not)
|
Yes, I am. / No, it isn't.
|
|
Noun Modifier
|
Adjective + Noun
|
An interested student / An interesting class.
|
|
Adverbial
|
Adverb + Adjective
|
Very bored / Quite boring.
|
Spectre de formalité
I am highly interested in this subject. (Academic/Professional)
I am interested in this subject. (Academic/Professional)
I'm into this. (Academic/Professional)
I'm vibing with this. (Academic/Professional)
The Feeling vs. Cause Map
Person (Internal)
- Bored Feeling
Thing (External)
- Boring Cause
Adjective Comparison
Decision Flowchart
Are you describing a person's feeling?
Common Pairs
Emotions
- • Bored/Boring
- • Interested/Interesting
- • Excited/Exciting
- • Tired/Tiring
Exemples par niveau
I am bored.
Estoy aburrido.
The game is boring.
El juego es aburrido.
I am tired.
Estoy cansado.
The work is tiring.
El trabajo es cansado.
Are you interested in music?
¿Estás interesado en la música?
The movie was interesting.
La película fue interesante.
She is excited for the trip.
Ella está emocionada por el viaje.
The news is exciting.
Las noticias son emocionantes.
I was confused by his explanation.
Estaba confundido por su explicación.
The instructions were very confusing.
Las instrucciones eran muy confusas.
He felt disappointed with the result.
Se sintió decepcionado con el resultado.
The results were disappointing.
Los resultados fueron decepcionantes.
I am fascinated by history.
Me fascina la historia.
The history lecture was fascinating.
La clase de historia fue fascinante.
They were exhausted after the hike.
Estaban agotados después de la caminata.
The hike was exhausting.
La caminata fue agotadora.
I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work.
Me sentí abrumado por el gran volumen de trabajo.
The workload is overwhelming.
La carga de trabajo es abrumadora.
She was terrified of the dark.
Ella tenía terror a la oscuridad.
The experience was terrifying.
La experiencia fue aterradora.
The audience was captivated by the performance.
La audiencia quedó cautivada por la actuación.
The performance was captivating.
La actuación fue cautivadora.
I am intrigued by the proposal.
Me intriga la propuesta.
The proposal is intriguing.
La propuesta es intrigante.
Facile à confondre
Learners often use adjectives where they need adverbs.
Both end in -ing, but gerunds are nouns.
They look the same.
Erreurs courantes
I am boring.
I am bored.
The movie is bored.
The movie is boring.
I am interest.
I am interested.
The book is interested.
The book is interesting.
I feel boring.
I feel bored.
The class is tired.
The class is tiring.
Are you excite?
Are you excited?
The situation was confused.
The situation was confusing.
I am surprising.
I am surprised.
It was a bored day.
It was a boring day.
The results were disappointed.
The results were disappointing.
I am overwhelming.
I am overwhelmed.
The lecture was fascinated.
The lecture was fascinating.
Structures de phrases
I am ___ by the ___.
The ___ is very ___.
I feel ___ because the ___ is ___.
It is ___ to be ___ by the ___.
Real World Usage
This game is so exciting!
I am very interested in this role.
The map is confusing.
The wait is tiring.
The lecture was fascinating.
I'm so bored lol.
The Person Test
Don't call people boring!
Use adverbs
Casual speech
Smart Tips
Always use -ed.
Always use -ing.
Use -ed for yourself.
Use -ed for yourself.
Prononciation
-ed ending
The -ed ending is pronounced /ɪd/, /t/, or /d/ depending on the verb.
-ing ending
The -ing ending is pronounced /ɪŋ/.
Statement
I am ↘bored.
Falling intonation for finality.
Question
Are you ↗bored?
Rising intonation for yes/no questions.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
ED is for the HEAD (your feelings). ING is for the THING (the cause).
Association visuelle
Imagine a person with an 'ED' sticker on their forehead (feeling) and a giant 'ING' sign pointing at a boring movie screen.
Rhyme
If you feel it, use the ED, if it's the cause, use the ING.
Story
I was very bored (feeling) at the lecture. The lecture was so boring (cause) that I fell asleep. My friend was also tired (feeling) because the lecture was tiring (cause).
Word Web
Défi
Write 3 sentences about your day using one -ed and one -ing adjective for each.
Notes culturelles
Very common to use these in casual conversation to express extreme states.
Similar usage, but often more understated.
Often uses these with intensifiers.
These adjectives come from Old English verb participles.
Amorces de conversation
What is the most interesting book you have read?
Are you ever bored on weekends?
What is the most confusing thing about learning English?
Have you ever been disappointed by a movie?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
I am so ___ (bore) with this movie.
The lecture was very ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
I am boring because I have nothing to do.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Estoy emocionado.
Answer starts with: I a...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
The news was ___.
I was ___ by the results.
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesI am so ___ (bore) with this movie.
The lecture was very ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
I am boring because I have nothing to do.
the / is / confusing / map
Estoy emocionado.
Bored -> ?
The news was ___.
I was ___ by the results.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, things don't have feelings. Use -ing.
Yes, but it means the person causes the feeling (e.g., 'He is boring').
Some adjectives don't have both forms (e.g., 'happy').
Ask: Is it a feeling or a cause?
Yes, it describes a state of mind.
It means you are a dull person.
Yes, they are standard English.
Only verbs that express emotions or psychological states.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
aburrido/aburrido
English requires two different forms.
ennuyé/ennuyeux
Suffixes are different.
gelangweilt/langweilig
German uses -ig for the cause.
taikutsu-na
Japanese doesn't use participle suffixes.
mumill
Arabic doesn't use -ed/-ing.
wúliáo
Chinese lacks morphological markers.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Vidéos associées
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