-ed and -ing adjectives

×  I am so exciting about your visit!
√  I am so excited about your visit!

×  We were very boring, so we decided to play cards. 
√  We were very bored, so we decided to play cards.

-ed adjectives are used to describe how people feel. Look at the following examples:

  • ‘We’re tired. Can we stop running?
  • I’m bored. Let’s play cards.
  • I was surprised to see her.

-ing adjectives are used to talk about the things that produce these feelings in people. Check the examples below:

  • Running is very tiring. We don’t want to run.
  • This film is very boring. Let’s play cards.
  • Her visit was very surprising. We weren’t expecting her.
Here you have a list of common adjectives that follow this pattern:
  • amazed — amazing 
  • amused — amusing 
  • annoyed — annoying 
  • bored — boring 
  • confused — confusing 
  • depressed — depressing 
  • disappointed — disappointing 
  • embarrassed — embarrassing 
  • excited — exciting 
  • frightened — frightening 
  • interested — interesting 
  • irritated — irritating
  • shocked — shocking 
  • surprised — surprising 
  • terrified — terrifying 
  • tired — tiring 
  • worried — worrying