01/29/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/29/2024 07:10
Boring? Bored? Interesting? Interested? These English adjectives sound similar, but they are not the same! In fact, changing which adjective you use can dramatically impact the meaning of a sentence.
To decide which adjective is correct, there's a simple trick that English learners of any level can use: The -ing adjectives are about inspiration (I = ING), and the -ed adjectives are for effect and emotion (E = ED).
Use -ing adjectives to describe people, places, and things that inspire a feeling. For example, you might see a boring movie or talk to your interesting friend. You could have an exciting day or hear a song that's annoying.
If you're describing the emotion you feel about something, use -ed adjectives. Words like excited, annoyed, and frustrated are all feelings!
Many English adjectives have related forms, one with -ing and another with -ed:
INSPIRATION | EFFECT / EMOTION |
annoying | annoyed |
boring | bored |
confusing | confused |
disappointing | disappointed |
disgusting | disgusted |
exciting | excited |
exhausting | exhausted |
frustrating | frustrated |
interesting | interested |
irritating | irritated |
overwhelming | overwhelmed |
relaxing | relaxed |
surprising | surprised |
tiring | tired |
A helpful way to understand the difference between these adjectives is to look at sentences that include both forms:
INSPIRATION | EFFECT / EMOTION |
The movie is boring, | so you feel bored. |
Zari's story is interesting, | so Oscar is interested in it. |
This is an exciting soccer game, | so Eddy is very excited. |
What a frustrating project! | I'm so frustrated about it. |
Today was very tiring, | so we are super tired! |
Running a marathon is exhausting, | so the athletes are exhausted at the end! |
Swapping -ed and -ing adjectives can be confusing for the listener-and it can sometimes be funny or even embarrassing!
Consider the difference between these pairs of sentences:
Eddy is at a meeting, and he's so BORED! | Eddy is at a meeting, and he's so BORING! |
Effect / emotion | Inspiration |
Eddy feels like the meeting is not very fun, and he wants to fall asleep. | The other people at the meeting think that Eddy is not very fun. They want to fall asleep when Eddy talks! |
Lin's cat is very loud in the middle of the night. The cat is so ANNOYING! | Lin's cat is very loud in the middle of the night. The cat is so ANNOYED! |
Inspiration | Effect / emotion |
The cat causes Lin to feel upset, and it disrupts Lin's sleep. | Something else is making the cat upset-like maybe he's hungry |
Bea is visiting a haunted house, and she is so FRIGHTENED! | Bea is visiting a haunted house, and she is so FRIGHTENING! |
Effect / emotion | Inspiration |
Bea feels nervous and scared. | Bea is scaring other people. She's the cause of their fear! |
I want to leave Oscar's class because I'm not very INTERESTED. | I want to leave Oscar's class because I'm not very INTERESTING. |
Effect / emotion | Inspiration |
I don't care about the topic of Oscar's class, so I'm leaving. | Other people don't care about the things I say, so I'm leaving |
Use this inspiration vs. effect memory trick to help you learn the differences between English adjectives. With practice and patience, you'll be using them confidently in no time!