-ed / -ing Adjectives
-ed adjectives
Adjectives that end in -ed generally describe emotions – they tell us how people feel.
I was so bored in that lesson, I almost fell asleep.
He was surprised to see Helen after all those years.
She was really tired and went to bed early.
-ing adjectives
Adjectives that end in -ing generally describe the thing that causes the emotion – a
boring lesson makes you feel bored.
Have you seen that film? It's really frightening.
I could listen to her for hours. She's so interesting.
I can't sleep! That noise is really annoying!
Choose the correct adjective:
1. My nephew was (amusing / amused) by the clown.
2. It’s so (frustrating / frustrated)! No matter how much I study I can’t seem to
remember this vocabulary.
3. This lesson is so (boring / bored)!
4. I’m feeling (depressed / depressing), so I’m going to go home, eat some chocolate,
and go to bed early with a good book.
5. I thought her new idea was absolutely (fascinated / fascinating).
6. This math problem is so (confusing / confused). Can you help me?
7. The teacher was really (amusing / amused) so the lesson passed quickly.
8. The journey was (exhausting / exhausted)! Twelve hours by bus.
9. The plane began to move in a rather (alarming / alarmed) way.
10. He was (frightening / frightened) when he saw the spider.
11. I was really (embarrassing / embarrassed) when I fell over in the street.
12. That film was so (depressing / depressed)! There was no happy ending for any of
the characters.
13. I’m sorry, I can’t come tonight. I’m completely (exhausting / exhausted).
14. We are going in a helicopter? How (exciting / excited)!
15. Don’t show my baby photos to people, Mum! It’s so (embarrassing / embarrassed)!
16. It’s okay, it’s only me. Don’t be (alarming / alarmed).
17. My sister is so (exciting / excited) because she is going on holiday tomorrow.
18. I hate long flights, I’m always really (boring / bored).
19. She looked very (confusing / confused) when I told her we had to change the plan.
20. John was (fascinated / fascinating) by Mandarin when he first started learning
languages. He decided to study more and now he can speak it fluently.
Choose the correct adjective:
1. I am so (relaxing / relaxed) I don’t want to move.
2. I find horror films really (frightening / frightened) and not at all fun to watch.
3. Sometimes I get really (frustrating / frustrated) when I can’t express myself well in
English.
4. We were stopped by a man with a knife who took our money. It was (terrifying /
terrified).
5. The program was really (interesting / interested).
6. She was (overwhelming / overwhelmed) when everyone cheered and we gave her
presents.
7. If I feel stressed, I find taking a bath is often (relaxing / relaxed).
8. I am really (tiring / tired); I think I’ll go to bed.
9. He’s very (interesting / interested) in history.
10. The trip was (overwhelming / overwhelmed), with so many things to do and it was
all so new.
11. She is never (satisfying / satisfied) with her work.
12. Cleaning is so (tiring / tired)! I think I’ll have a rest!
13. She thought the ride on the rollercoaster was (thrilled / thrilling).
14. I was really (surprising / surprised) when I saw you. I had thought you were on
holiday.
15. My grandmother was (shocking / shocked) by the man’s bad language.
16. My niece is (terrifying / terrified) of dogs.
17. Thank you so much for the prize! I’m (thrilled / thrilling)!
18. My job is very (satisfying / satisfied), I love helping people.
19. The news was so (shocking / shocked) that she burst into tears.
20. My exam results were great! It’s really (surprising / surprised) but good, of course.
Choose the correct adjective form for each blank.
1. Halloween was probably the most _______________ film I have ever seen
(FRIGHTENED / FRIGHTENING).
2. I always get so _______________ when my dad starts speaking English (EMBARRASSED /
EMBARRASSING).
3. I am _______________ to see how well he gets along with his stepfather. (SURPRISED
/SURPRISING)
4. The lesson was so _______________ that I fell asleep (BORED / BORING).
5. As the big day came closer, my sister became _______________ nervous (INCREASED /
INCREASINGLY).
6. You've been walking for 5 hours. You must feel _______________ (EXHAUSTED /
EXHAUSTING).
7. I was _______________ when I saw him in that outfit for the first time. (FRIGHTENED
/FRIGHTENING)
8. I didn't like the film. The plot was rather simple and _______________. (UNINTERESTED /
UNINTERESTING)
9. It's _______________ to see how many people didn't care to vote in the last election.
(SURPRISED / SURPRISING)
10.You look a bit _______________. Don't you know what you're supposed to do? (CONFUSED
/ CONFUSING)
11.I saw that my boss was very _______________ with how I behaved. (ANNOYED /
ANNOYING)
12.They were all very _______________ by the performance of the actors. (IMPRESSED /
IMPRESSING)
13.The school trip was really _______________. I learned a lot of things I hadn't known before.
(EXCITED / EXCITING)
14.It was _______________ to have met such a great movie star. (THRILLED / THRILLING)
15.We were _______________ when we found out that his sister was on the plane that went
missing. (WORRIED / WORRYING
Complete the sentences using -ing adjectives or -ed adjectives.
1. The children looked _____ by the old toys.
a) fascinated b) fascinating
2. I felt _____ after just a short time in the forest.
a) invigorated b) invigorating
3. It was very _____ to win our first game of the season.
a) bad b) badly
4. The recent downward trend in poverty seems _____.
a) encouraged b) encouraging
5. _____ at the thought of moving away, Jonathon began to cry.
a) Terrified b) Terrifying
6. When you're not in good spirits, it is _____ to stay in bed all day.
a) tempted b) tempting
7. One finding that appeared _____ was that birth rates were declining.
a) troubled b) troubling
8. Never had Ann felt so _____ by the landscape she traveled through.
a) charmed b) charming
9. As _____ as it is to be with others, it's crucial to spend some time
alone. .
a) comforted b) comforting
10. The working mother was _____ at the thought of being labeled a
"homemaker."
a) amused b) amusing
