ED vs ING Adjectives: How Do You Feel? What Is It Like?
Core PathWay1 Section 1. Two Adjectives, One Root — Here Is Where It Gets Interesting
Ready to build your vocabulary for feelings and reactions? Here is where we start.
Many English adjectives come in pairs. One ends in -ed. The other ends in -ing. They come from the same verb, but they mean different things.
Here is the key idea. Use -ed to describe how a person feels. Use -ing to describe the thing that causes the feeling.
Look at this example. ‘She is bored.’ This means she has the feeling of boredom. ‘The lesson is boring.’ This means the lesson causes that feeling.
Here is another one. ‘He is excited.’ He has a strong, happy feeling about something. ‘The news is exciting.’ The news causes that feeling.
So the question is simple. Are you describing a person’s feeling? Use -ed. Are you describing the thing that causes the feeling? Use -ing.
Notice this: the -ed form almost always describes a person or animal. The -ing form almost always describes a situation, thing, or experience. Keep this in mind as you read on.
2 Section 2. Positive Feelings — Things That Feel Good
Let’s start with the good feelings. These are the -ed and -ing pairs that describe positive reactions.
When you feel amazed, you are very surprised in a good way. Something is amazing when it causes that strong, wonderful surprise. ‘I was amazed by the view from the mountain. The view was amazing.’
When you feel excited, you have a happy, energetic feeling about something coming. Something is exciting when it gives you that feeling. ‘The children were excited about the trip. The trip sounded exciting.’
When you feel fascinated, you are extremely interested in something. Something is fascinating when it holds your attention completely. ‘She was fascinated by the history of the city. The guide told fascinating stories.’
When you feel interested, you want to know more about something. Something is interesting when it makes you feel that way. ‘He was interested in the new project. The project looked interesting.’
When you feel amused, something has made you smile or laugh. Something is amusing when it causes that reaction. ‘We were all amused by his story. It was a very amusing story.’
Notice the pattern: the person gets the -ed form, and the thing or experience gets the -ing form. Every time.
3 Section 3. Negative Feelings — Things That Feel Bad
Now let’s look at the pairs that describe negative reactions.
When you feel annoyed, something has made you a little angry. Something is annoying when it causes that feeling. ‘She was annoyed by the noise. The noise was really annoying.’
When you feel bored, you have nothing interesting to do or think about. Something is boring when it causes that feeling. ‘The students were bored in the long meeting. The meeting was very boring.’
When you feel confused, you do not understand something clearly. Something is confusing when it is hard to understand. ‘He was confused by the instructions. The instructions were very confusing.’
When you feel disappointed, something was not as good as you hoped. Something is disappointing when it does not meet your expectations. ‘She was disappointed with her results. The results were disappointing.’
When you feel embarrassed, you feel uncomfortable because of something awkward. Something is embarrassing when it causes that uncomfortable feeling. ‘He was embarrassed when he forgot her name. It was an embarrassing moment.’
When you feel frightened, you feel fear. Something is frightening when it causes fear. ‘The children were frightened by the storm. The storm was frightening.’
Six negative pairs — and the rule stays the same. The person takes -ed. The cause takes -ing.
4 Section 4. Tired and Calm — Two More Important Pairs
Here are two more pairs that come up often in everyday conversation.
When you feel exhausted, you are extremely tired. Not just a little tired — completely without energy. Something is exhausting when it uses all your energy. ‘After the long journey, everyone was exhausted. It was an exhausting day.’
When you feel relaxed, you feel calm and free from stress. Something is relaxing when it helps you feel that way. ‘She felt completely relaxed after the holiday. The music was very relaxing.’
These two pairs are very common when people talk about work, travel, and daily life. Notice how exhausted and exhausting are stronger than ‘tired’ and ‘tiring’. When something is exhausting, it takes everything you have.
Also notice: you can feel relaxed after something exhausting. These two pairs often appear together in the same conversation.
A small but important point: we say ‘I feel exhausted‘ or ‘I am exhausted‘ — both work. We also say ‘I feel relaxed‘ or ‘I am relaxed‘. The verb ‘feel’ works well with all -ed adjectives.
5 Section 5. Watch Out — Common Mistakes With These Pairs
Now you know all 13 pairs. Let’s look at the mistakes that learners often make.
The most common mistake is using -ing for a person’s feeling. For example: ‘I am so boring today.’ This is wrong. It means other people find you boring — that you cause boredom in others. If you want to say you have no energy or interest, say ‘I am so bored today.’
Another common mistake: ‘The film was frightened.’ This is wrong. A film cannot feel fear. Say ‘The film was frightening.’ The film causes the feeling.
Here is a useful check. Before you use one of these adjectives, ask yourself: ‘Am I describing a feeling inside a person?’ If yes, use -ed. ‘Am I describing a thing, situation, or experience?’ If yes, use -ing.
Also watch out with confused and confusing. Learners sometimes write ‘The teacher was very confusing‘ when they mean the teacher was hard to understand. This is actually correct — it means the teacher’s explanation caused confusion. But ‘The teacher was confused‘ means the teacher did not understand something. These two sentences have very different meanings.
The same logic applies to disappointed and disappointing, embarrassed and embarrassing, and all the other pairs. The form you choose changes the meaning completely.
6 Section 6. Putting It All Together — Real Sentences, Real Situations
Let’s see all 13 pairs working in context. These are the kinds of sentences you will hear and use in real life.
‘I was amazed when I heard the news. It was the most amazing thing I had heard all week.’
‘She felt amused by the situation, even though it was a little embarrassing for everyone involved.’
‘He was annoyed because the delay was so annoying — they had been waiting for two hours.’
‘The documentary was fascinating, and I was completely fascinated by the section on deep-sea creatures.’
‘After the hike, we were all exhausted. Eight hours of walking is exhausting work.’
‘The children were frightened by the loud noise. It was a frightening experience for them.’
‘She was disappointed with the result, but she understood why. The situation was disappointing for everyone.’
‘I was a little confused at first — the map was really confusing. But then I found the right road.’
‘He was bored during the presentation. It was long and boring, and nobody asked any questions.’
‘After the spa, she felt completely relaxed. A day like that is genuinely relaxing.’
‘The class was excited about the trip. The teacher had made it sound very exciting.’
‘I was interested in the topic, so I read more about it. It turned out to be a very interesting subject.’
Notice how naturally these pairs work together. The -ed form and the -ing form often appear close to each other — one describing the person, one describing the cause.
7 Section 7. Now Hear It in Use
You have met all 13 pairs — the feelings and the causes. Now hear them working in a real conversation. Listen to how the two speakers move naturally between -ed and -ing forms as they talk about a film they have both seen. Pay attention to which form they use for feelings and which form they use for the film itself.
💬 Dialogue 1: What Did You Think of the Film?
Two friends, Priya and Dan, are having coffee after watching the same film — separately, over the weekend. They are comparing their reactions and deciding whether to recommend it to their other friends.
Priya: “So did you watch that documentary in the end? The one about the ocean?”
Dan: “I did, yeah. Honestly, I was completely fascinated. I didn’t expect it to be so interesting — I nearly didn’t bother watching it.”
Priya: “Same! I was a bit bored at the start, I have to say — the first twenty minutes were quite slow. But then it got amazing.”
Dan: “Yeah, exactly. I was almost going to turn it off, but then that part about the deep sea creatures came on and I was just… completely glued to the screen. It was amazing. Actually, some of it was a bit frightening too — those giant squid scenes were intense.”
Priya: “Oh, I know! I was genuinely frightened during that part — I had to pause it for a second. But I also found the music really relaxing in the underwater sections. It was such a strange mix of feelings.”
Dan: “That’s such a good point. The music was really relaxing, wasn’t it. I actually felt quite calm during those bits, even though the visuals were incredible. Did you find any of it confusing? There was one section about deep sea pressure that I couldn’t quite follow.”
Priya: “Yes! That bit was really confusing — they used so much scientific language and I got completely lost. I was confused for about ten minutes after that. I had to rewind it twice.”
Dan: “Twice! Ha! I just gave up and moved on, to be honest. I was a bit annoyed with myself for not understanding it. Did you think the whole thing was exhausting to watch, or was it just me? It was nearly two hours long.”
Priya: “It was quite exhausting, yeah — I watched it in two sittings because of that. But I wasn’t annoyed by the length. I actually thought it needed all that time to tell the story properly. Were you excited when they announced the sequel at the end?”
Dan: “There’s a sequel coming? I must have missed that — I was probably getting a drink or something. I’m actually really excited about that now that you’ve told me. Though I have to say, I was a bit disappointed by the ending of this one. It just stopped quite suddenly.”
Priya: “Really? I loved the ending! I thought it was quite moving, actually. But I can see why you’d feel disappointed if you wanted more closure. Anyway — would you recommend it to the others? To Sasha and Tom?”
Dan: “Definitely. I’d tell them the start is a bit slow and that one section is pretty confusing, but overall it’s genuinely amazing. And if they’re easily frightened, maybe warn them about the squid. I’d say it’s worth it though — I came away feeling really glad I watched it.”
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