person + be + -ed adjectiveUse this pattern when the subject has the feeling.
-ed and -ing Adjectives
B1Use -ed adjectives for how someone feels and -ing adjectives for what causes the feeling. Compare the person with the thing, event, or situation.
What you'll learn
- Describe a person's feeling with an -ed adjective.
- Describe the cause of a feeling with an -ing adjective.
- Match the person and the cause in one sentence.
- Use common adjective pairs like bored/boring and interested/interesting.
Structure
thing/situation + be + -ing adjectiveUse this pattern when the subject creates the feeling.
person + be + -ed adjective + because + thing/situation + be + -ing adjectivePut both ideas together: the person feels it, and the thing causes it.
Build a sentence
Person
Adjective pair
Annaisboredbecause the movie is boring
Anna is bored because the movie is boring.
Anna has the feeling, so use bored. The movie causes it, so use boring.
When to use
Personal reactions
Talk about how someone feels after an event, activity, conversation, trip, class, or piece of news.
Causes of feelings
Describe a movie, lesson, game, story, journey, or person that creates an emotional reaction in others.
Person + cause
Build both sides together: Leo is tired because the trip is tiring. One side feels it; the other side causes it.
Markers
bored / boringinterested / interestingexcited / excitingtired / tiringconfused / confusingsurprised / surprising
Common mistakes
Wrong
Maria was very boring during the lecture.
Correct
Maria was very bored during the lecture.
Maria had the feeling, so use the -ed adjective.
Wrong
The lecture was bored.
Correct
The lecture was boring.
The lecture caused the feeling, so use the -ing adjective.
Wrong
Jake is confused because the map is confused.
Correct
Jake is confused because the map is confusing.
Jake feels confused, but the map causes that feeling.
Wrong
Nina is exciting before the concert.
Correct
Nina is excited before the concert.
Nina has the feeling. She does not cause it here.
Wrong
The instructions were confused, so Tom felt confusing.
Correct
The instructions were confusing, so Tom felt confused.
Use -ing for the cause and -ed for the person's reaction.
Common misconceptions
❝ -ed and -ing adjectives mean the same thing, so I can choose either one. ❞
They do different jobs. -ed shows the feeling in a person; -ing shows the person, thing, or situation that creates the feeling.
❝ Only objects can take -ing adjectives. ❞
People can also be described with -ing when they cause a feeling in others: Tom is interesting. His stories keep everyone engaged.
Skills in this rule (4)
ED_FOR_FEELINGSw5Use -ed adjectives for how a person feels
Use an -ed adjective to describe the person's reaction or emotional state. Ask: who has the feeling?
ING_FOR_THINGS_OR_SITUATIONSw5Use -ing adjectives for the thing or situation that causes the feeling
Use an -ing adjective for a movie, class, trip, person, or event that creates the reaction. Ask: what causes the feeling?
MATCH_FEELING_AND_CAUSEw4Choose the right pair for the feeling and its cause
In one idea, use -ed for the person and -ing for the cause. For example: Anna is interested because the book is interesting.
USE_COMMON_PAIRSw3Use common -ed/-ing adjective pairs in everyday contexts
Apply frequent pairs like interested/interesting, excited/exciting, tired/tiring, confused/confusing, and surprised/surprising in natural sentences.