English grammar
Adjectives with -ed and -ing: bored or boring? 📕
Many adjectives come in pairs: one ends in -ed and one ends in -ing. They have different meanings.
-ed: how a person feels
I am bored. (I feel bored)
She is interested in art.
We were tired after the trip.
-ing: what causes the feeling
The film is boring. (the film makes me feel bored)
Art is interesting.
The trip was tiring.
Common pairs
| Feeling (-ed) | Cause (-ing) |
| bored | boring |
| interested | interesting |
| tired | tiring |
| excited | exciting |
| surprised | surprising |
| confused | confusing |
| worried | worrying |
| embarrassed | embarrassing |
Be careful
✗ I am boring in class. (this means other people find you boring)
✓ I am bored in class.
✗ The news was very surprised.
✓ The news was very surprising.