Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING

Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING (with Clear Examples & Exam Tips)

Adjectives ending in -ed and -ing are one of the most common grammar problems for English learners. Should you say bored or boring? Interested or interesting? In this clear guide, you’ll learn exactly how adjectives ending in -ed and -ing work, with examples, common mistakes, and exam tips for B2 First and C1 Advanced.

Let’s break it down clearly and properly.

Where Do -ED and -ING Adjectives Come From?

Most adjectives ending in -ed and -ing come from verbs.

For example:

• interest → interested / interesting
• bore → bored / boring
• confuse → confused / confusing
• excite → excited / exciting

They are formed by adding:

• -ed (past participle form)
• -ing (present participle form)

But here’s the key difference…

The Golden Rule

✅ -ED adjectives describe how someone feels.

✅ -ING adjectives describe the thing that causes the feeling.

If you remember only one thing from this lesson, remember that.

-ED Adjectives: How Someone Feels

We use -ed adjectives to describe a person’s emotional state.

Think: This is my feeling.

Examples:

• I’m confused.
• The students are interested.
• She felt challenged by the task.
• Roger looks a bit depressed.

More examples:

• I was very tired last night.
• She felt annoyed when he interrupted her.
• John was surprised by the news.
• I was worried when you didn’t call.
• Sara was terrified when she saw the spider.
• The children were excited about the trip.
• The fans were disappointed after the match.
• People are frustrated with the system.
• Susan felt tempted to take the biscuit.
• Ryan was amused by the idea.

Notice something? These describe people’s emotions.

-ING Adjectives: What Causes the Feeling

We use -ing adjectives to describe the person, thing, or situation that creates the feeling.

Think: This causes the feeling.

Examples:

• The rules are confusing.
• It’s an interesting lesson.
• That’s a discouraging thought.
• What an inspiring idea!

More examples:

• The lecture was tiring.
• Karen’s behaviour is annoying.
• The instructions are confusing.
• The results were disappointing.
• The film was exciting.
• The news is worrying.
• Peter is very amusing.
• Waiting in long queues is frustrating.
• The idea was tempting.
• The pictures were terrifying.
• The speed of change is surprising.

These describe the cause — not the emotion.

A Very Common Mistake

❌ I am very interesting.

✅ I am very interested.

Why?

Because you don’t cause your own feeling — you experience it.

Similarly:

❌ I am boring. (This means: I make other people bored.)

✅ I am bored. (This means: I feel bored.)

Big difference!

Comparison Table Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING

Useful Tip for Exams (B2 First & C1 Advanced)

In exams like B2 First (FCE) and C1 Advanced (CAE), this difference often appears in:

• Use of English
• Open Cloze
• Word Formation
• Key Word Transformations
• Writing tasks

Examiners expect you to control this distinction accurately. A sentence like:

I was very exciting about the opportunity.

immediately signals a grammar weakness.

Instead:

I was very excited about the opportunity.

Much stronger.

A Simple Trick to Check Yourself

Ask yourself:

Am I describing a person’s emotion? → use -ed

Am I describing the cause of that emotion? → use -ing

If it causes the feeling → -ing

If it experiences the feeling → -ed

Simple. Reliable. Effective.

Final Thoughts

Adjectives ending in -ed and -ing are not difficult — they just require attention to meaning.

Once you train yourself to think about cause vs feeling, your accuracy improves dramatically.

And that’s exactly what examiners want: control, clarity, and precision.

Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING Practice Worksheet – download the PDF here

Do the quiz to perfect your knowledge

FAQ Section 

What is the difference between bored and boring?

Bored describes how someone feels. Boring describes something that causes boredom.

Why do learners confuse adjectives ending in -ed and -ing?

Because both forms come from verbs, but they describe different things: feelings vs causes.

Are -ed and -ing adjectives tested in Cambridge exams?

Yes. They frequently appear in Use of English, Word Formation, and Writing tasks in B2 First and C1 Advanced.

Related posts:

Grammar mistakes to avoid at B2 First

Participle clauses in English

Commonly mistaken words in English

Adjectives to describe feelings

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