Participle Adjectives: -ed vs -ing
Feelings (person) vs Cause (thing)
No practice — theory only
What are participle adjectives?
Many verbs of feeling or reaction (amuse, annoy, bore, confuse, excite, interest, surprise, tire, worry…) form two adjectives:
- -ed form = how someone feels — I’m bored.
- -ing form = what causes the feeling — The film is boring.
A quick test: If you can add by it after the adjective (I’m bored by it), it’s usually the -ed form. If you can add to watch/see/hear (It’s boring to watch), it’s the -ing form.
Form & placement
- Predicative after linking verbs (be, feel, seem, look, sound): She looks tired. The talk sounded interesting.
- Attributive before a noun: an exciting match, a bored audience.
- Change of state with get/become: We got annoyed quickly.
Although -ed adjectives typically describe people/animals, they can modify things if a human reaction is implied: a tired idea (metaphor), a crowded train (past-participle result).
Degree words that collocate well
- Gradable use very/really/quite: very boring, really interested, quite worrying.
- Non-gradable/extreme prefer absolutely/completely/utterly: absolutely terrified, completely exhausted, utterly amazed (not *very terrified*).
- So for emphasis: so exciting, so bored. Such + (a) + adj + noun: such a boring lecture.
Common preposition partners
| -ed adjective | Usual preposition(s) | Meaning model |
|---|---|---|
| interested | in (+ -ing) / to (+ V1 for reaction to news) | I’m interested in learning. / I was interested to hear the news. |
| bored | with/by | We’re bored with the routine. |
| annoyed | with/at (person), by (thing) | She’s annoyed with him / by the delay. |
| surprised / shocked / amazed | at/by | They were amazed at/by the result. |
| tired | of (fed up), from (cause) | tired of waiting; tired from work |
| excited | about/at/by | excited about the trip |
| frightened / scared | of/by | frightened of spiders; frightened by the noise |
| disappointed | with/in/about/by | disappointed with the score; in a player |
Typical traps & how to fix them
- ❌ I’m interesting in maths. → ✔ I’m interested in maths.
- ❌ The news was very shocked. → ✔ The news was very shocking. I was shocked.
- ❌ Comparatives on -ing with -er: *interestinger* → ✔ more interesting / less boring.
- Choose the right subject: the thing is -ing, the person is -ed: The journey was tiring, so we were tired.
Common pairs at B1–B2
| Verb | Cause (thing) | Feeling (person) |
|---|---|---|
| amaze | amazing | amazed |
| amuse | amusing | amused |
| annoy | annoying | annoyed |
| bore | boring | bored |
| confuse | confusing | confused |
| depress | depressing | depressed |
| disappoint | disappointing | disappointed |
| embarrass | embarrassing | embarrassed |
| excite | exciting | excited |
| frighten / terrify | frightening / terrifying | frightened / terrified |
| interest | interesting | interested |
| irritate | irritating | irritated |
| shock | shocking | shocked |
| surprise | surprising | surprised |
| tire | tiring | tired |
| worry | worrying | worried |
| irregular shape | offensive, stressful, delightful, impressive, scary | offended, stressed, delighted, impressed, scared |
These adjectives behave like other adjectives: they take comparatives with more/less, and adverbs like really, extremely.
Handy sentence patterns
- find + object + -ing — I find grammar fascinating.
- make + object + -ed — That comment made me angry.
- keep/leave + object + -ed — The mystery kept us interested. / The note left me confused.
Exercises:
Participle Adjectives: -ed vs -ing
Choose the correct option for each sentence.
1
It was orientation day at the design studio, and the new interns were
about pitching their ideas.
2
The schedule looked
— workshops back to back all week.
3
After the welcome talk, I felt
by all the new names and tools.
4
The list of software we needed to learn was
, but the mentors were patient.
5
While we queued for our badges, some interns looked
and checked their phones.
6
The finance slideshow was surprisingly
; even the Q&A flew by.
7
I was really
by how helpful the mentors were.
8
One mentor told an
story about his first failed app.
9
By lunchtime we were
and needed fresh air.
10
The city skyline from the roof was
, and everyone fell silent.
11
After the feedback session, we left feeling
about the week ahead.
12
The only
part was the traffic on the way home.
Participle Adjectives: -ed vs -ing
Choose the correct option for each sentence.
1
We were all _____ because the lecture was really _____.
A.
B.
C.
2
I’m really _____ by her emails — they’re so _____.
A.
B.
C.
3
Everyone felt _____ when they heard the _____ news.
A.
B.
C.
4
The instructions were so _____ that the users were _____.
A.
B.
C.
5
That was an _____ match and the fans were really ____.
A.
B.
C.
6
It’s a _____ job; I’m always _____ after my shift.
A.
B.
C.
7
The teacher’s explanation was _____, so the students were ____.
A.
B.
C.
8
Long flights are _____; I feel completely ____ when we land.
A.
B.
C.
9
Her story was _____ and the audience looked ____.
A.
B.
C.
10
The results are _____ and the researchers are ____ about them.
A.
B.
C.
Participle Adjectives: -ed vs -ing
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word in brackets. You may need to use the word as a verb or as an -ed / -ing adjective
1
The lecture was incredibly . I was completely by the end. (bore/bore)
2
That puzzle is ; we felt when we finally solved it. (challenge/satisfy)
3
The news was ; everyone looked . (shock/upset)
4
Travelling alone can be at first, but most people get after a few days. (frighten/relax)
5
I find grammar drills ; my students seem by games. (tire/engage)
6
Her joke did not me at all; nobody seemed . (amuse/amuse)
7
The directions were ; we were totally . (confuse/confuse)
8
Climbing that mountain was ; we felt when we reached the top. (exhaust/inspire)
9
The film's ending was ; the audience was . (disappoint/disappoint)
10
His constant interruptions are ; I get really . (annoy/annoy)