There is a group of adjectives that can end in –ed or –ing. However, the meaning of the adjective changes depending on the ending. For example, interested/interesting, tired/tiring, confused/confusing, surprised/surprised, etc.

We use the –ed ending to talk about how we feel. Adjectives ending with –ed are used primarily with nouns that are people or animals.

We use the –ing ending to describe a noun or when the noun is the reason for the feeling. Basically, the –ing adjective shows why a person is feeling a certain way. Adjectives ending in –ing are used primarily with nouns that are things.

🧩 -ed and -ing Adjectives

–ed adjectives	Use	Example
Describe feelings	how a person feels	I’m tired after work.
Answer the question: “How do you feel?”		She’s interested in art.

–ing adjectives	Use	Example
Describe things or people	the cause of the feeling	That movie was exciting!
Answer the question: “What is it like?”		The lesson was confusing.

💡 Common Adjective Pairs

–ed adjective	–ing adjective	Example Sentences
bored	boring	I’m bored. This movie is boring.
tired	tiring	She’s tired. Her job is tiring.
interested	interesting	They’re interested in science. Science is interesting.
excited	exciting	We’re excited about the trip. The trip is exciting.
worried	worrying	He’s worried about the exam. The exam is worrying.
surprised	surprising	I’m surprised by the news. The news is surprising.
disappointed	disappointing	They were disappointed. The results were disappointing.
relaxed	relaxing	I feel relaxed. The weekend was relaxing.
confused	confusing	He’s confused. The grammar rule is confusing.
embarrassed	embarrassing	She’s embarrassed. The mistake was embarrassing.

⚙️ Grammar Notes

✅ Word Order and Verb Forms

We usually use be + adjective to describe feelings or opinions:

I’m tired.
The movie is interesting.

Other common verbs with adjectives:

feel, look, seem, sound
I feel bored. / It sounds interesting.

🚫 Common Mistakes

❌ Wrong	✅ Correct	Why?
I’m boring.	I’m bored.	You describe your feeling, not your personality.
The students are interesting.	The students are interested.	They feel interested.
The movie was bored.	The movie was boring.	The movie causes the feeling.

🧠 Tip: If you can say “I feel…”, use the –ed form.

Practice Time

Speaking practice

1. Choose a card.
2. Complete the sentence using the correct form of the adjective.
3. Click on FLIP to check your answer.