Adjectives: -ed and -ing
The difference between bored and boring, interested and interesting, plus strong adjectives like exhausted.
Many B1 students say 'I am boring' when they mean 'I am bored'! Adjectives ending in -ed describe how a person feels; adjectives ending in -ing describe the thing or person that causes the feeling.
-ed: how you feel
-ing: what causes the feeling
Strong adjectives
Use these with "really" or "absolutely", not "very".
How it comes up in Part 5
In Reading Part 5 you choose the word (A, B, C or D) that best fits each gap. The four options often have similar meanings, so knowing which words go together is what gets you the mark.
A boring B bored C bore D bores
The museum caused the feeling, so boring.
A interested B interesting C interest D keen
A person is interested in something. (We say keen on, not keen in.)
A exhausted B tiring C tired D tiredness
With absolutely we use a strong adjective: exhausted.
Common mistakes
- ✗ I'm boring. Let's go out.✓ I'm bored. Let's go out.'I'm boring' means other people find you dull!
- ✗ The match was very excited.✓ The match was very exciting.The match causes the feeling: -ing.
- ✗ I was very exhausted.✓ I was really / absolutely exhausted.'Very' doesn't go with strong adjectives.
Ask yourself: is it a person's feeling (-ed) or the thing that causes it (-ing)? A person can be both: 'He's bored' (he feels it) and 'He's boring' (he makes others feel it).
Quick check
Choose the word that best fits each gap.
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