ED vs ING Adjectives: How You Feel vs What Causes the Feeling | Pack 2
Core PathWay
1 Section 1. The Core Idea: Feeling vs Cause
Ready to build your vocabulary for ED and ING adjectives? Here’s where we start. Every pair in this pack works the same way. The ED form describes how a person feels. The ING form describes what causes that feeling. For example: ‘She was tired‘ tells us about her. ‘It was a tiring day’ tells us about the day. The person feels tired. The day causes tiredness. This is the pattern. It does not change. You are surprised — something is surprising. You are worried — something is worrying. Notice that the ED form always points to a person. The ING form always points to a thing, a situation, or an experience. Keep this distinction in mind as you move through the pack.
2 Section 2. Everyday Feelings: Tired, Surprised, Worried
Let’s start with three pairs you will use all the time. First: tired and tiring. ‘I’m tired’ means you have no energy. ‘The journey was tiring’ means the journey used up your energy. Second: surprised and surprising. ‘I was surprised by the news’ means the news was unexpected for me. ‘The news was surprising’ means the news had the quality of being unexpected. Third: worried and worrying. ‘She looked worried’ means she had a feeling of anxiety. ‘The situation was worrying’ means the situation caused anxiety. These three pairs come up in daily conversation very often. Notice that with the ED form, we often use ‘feel’, ‘look’, or ‘seem’: ‘You look tired.’ ‘She seems worried.’ With the ING form, we often use ‘be’ or ‘find it’: ‘I find it worrying.’ ‘That’s surprising.’
3 Section 3. Strong Emotions: Terrified, Thrilled, Shocked
Now we move to stronger emotions. These words describe intense feelings. Terrified means extremely frightened. Terrifying describes something that causes extreme fear. ‘The children were terrified by the storm.’ ‘The storm was terrifying.’ Next: thrilled and thrilling. Thrilled means very excited and happy. Thrilling describes an experience that causes that excitement. ‘She was thrilled to get the job.’ ‘The interview process was thrilling.’ Now: shocked and shocking. Shocked means you feel sudden surprise, often because something is bad or unexpected. Shocking describes what causes that sudden surprise. ‘We were all shocked by the announcement.’ ‘The announcement was shocking.’ One useful tip: ‘thrilled’ is almost always positive. ‘Shocked’ and ‘terrified’ are almost always negative. ‘Surprising’ can be positive or negative — it depends on the context.
4 Section 4. Positive and Productive Feelings: Satisfied, Motivated, Inspired
This group covers feelings that are connected to work, effort, and achievement. Satisfied means you feel that something is good enough — you are happy with a result. Satisfying describes an experience or task that gives you that feeling. ‘I felt satisfied after finishing the report.’ ‘It was a satisfying project to work on.’ Next: motivated and motivating. Motivated means you feel ready and eager to work or act. Motivating describes something that gives you that energy. ‘The team felt motivated after the meeting.’ ‘The manager’s speech was motivating.’ Now: inspired and inspiring. Inspired means a new idea or feeling of energy has come to you. Inspiring describes the person or thing that caused it. ‘I felt inspired after the talk.’ ‘The speaker was inspiring.’ These three pairs work especially well in professional and academic contexts. You will hear them in meetings, feedback sessions, and performance reviews.
5 Section 5. Difficult Feelings: Puzzled, Touched, Overwhelmed, Irritated
This group covers feelings that are harder to manage. Puzzled means you feel confused because something is difficult to understand. Puzzling describes the thing that causes that confusion. ‘He looked puzzled when I explained the plan.’ ‘The instructions were puzzling.’ Next: touched and touching. Touched means you feel emotional because someone has done something kind. Touching describes the action or moment that caused that feeling. ‘She was touched by his kindness.’ ‘His message was touching.’ Now: overwhelmed and overwhelming. Overwhelmed means you feel that something is too much — too big, too difficult, or too emotional to deal with. Overwhelming describes the thing that causes that feeling. ‘I felt overwhelmed by the amount of work.’ ‘The response from the public was overwhelming.’ Finally: irritated and irritating. Irritated means you feel slightly angry or annoyed. Irritating describes what causes that feeling. ‘She was irritated by the noise.’ ‘The noise was irritating.’ Notice that ‘touched’ is positive, ‘irritated’ is negative, and ‘overwhelmed’ can be either — it depends on the context.
6 Section 6. Putting the Pairs Together
Now you have all 26 words. Let’s look at how they work together in real sentences. You can use these adjectives after ‘be’, ‘feel’, ‘seem’, ‘look’, and ‘find’. ‘He seemed thrilled.’ ‘I found it overwhelming.’ ‘She looked puzzled.’ You can also use the ING form before a noun. ‘It was a shocking result.’ ‘That was a satisfying meal.’ ‘It was a motivating experience.’ One common mistake is using the wrong form. ‘I am boring’ means other people find you boring — you cause boredom in them. ‘I am bored’ means you feel bored. Check: does the sentence describe a person’s feeling? Use ED. Does it describe what causes the feeling? Use ING. Here is a quick way to check your choice. Ask: ‘Is this a person’s reaction?’ If yes, use ED. Ask: ‘Is this the cause of a reaction?’ If yes, use ING.
7 Section 7. Now Hear It in Use
You have met all 26 words. 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 recent experience. Pay attention to which form they choose and why.
💬 After the Conference: Talking About a Big Day
Two colleagues, Maya and Dan, are talking after a large work conference. Maya attended the whole day. Dan had to leave early. They are catching up over coffee and sharing their reactions to the event.
Maya: “So, how are you feeling? You looked completely overwhelmed when you left this morning.”
Dan: “Honestly, I was. There was so much happening at once — I found it really overwhelming. But tell me, how was the afternoon session?”
Maya: “It was incredible. The keynote speaker was so inspiring — I felt genuinely inspired for the first time in months. And then the results presentation came up and, honestly, I was shocked.”
Dan: “Shocked? Really? Were the results that bad? I have to say, before I left I was already a bit worried about the numbers. Were they as worrying as I thought they might be?”
Maya: “Actually, no — they were better than expected. That’s why I was shocked! The growth figures were surprisingly strong. I think that’s what made the whole room feel so motivated. You could just feel the energy shift.”
Dan: “That’s such a relief to hear. I was sitting in the car on the way home feeling really unsettled, to be honest. I wish I’d stayed. Was the whole afternoon that motivating, or just the results part?”
Maya: “The whole thing, really. Even the workshop at the end was satisfying in a way I didn’t expect. We actually finished something — a real action plan. I left feeling satisfied, which doesn’t happen very often after these events, does it?”
Dan: “Honestly, no — most conferences just leave me feeling tired and a bit empty. It’s great that this one was actually satisfying. Did they share the action plan with everyone, or just the people in the workshop?”
Maya: “They’re sending it to the whole team tomorrow. And listen — the CEO spoke at the end, which I was not expecting at all. She was thrilling to listen to. I mean it. I was completely thrilled. I actually had goosebumps.”
Dan: “Oh, I had no idea she was going to be there — that is genuinely shocking that I missed it. Was she talking about the company’s direction? I’d find that kind of speech really thrilling, I think. She always has something important to say.”
Maya: “She talked about the next two years and where the company is heading. It was inspiring stuff — very clear, very honest. I came away feeling motivated in a way I haven’t felt in a long time. You really should have stayed, Dan.”
Dan: “I know, I know — I’m genuinely frustrated with myself for leaving early. But at least I feel satisfied just hearing about it from you. Maybe I’ll watch the recording if they post one. Do you think they filmed it?”
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