ADJECTIVES EXPRESSING FEELINGS

ADJECTIVES EXPRESSING FEELINGS

~ing (present participle) vs ~ed (past participle)

Many learners of English confuse the ~ing (present participle) with ~ed (past participle) when they are used as adjectives expressing emotions.

ADJECTIVES EXPRESSING FEELINGS

Compare:I am boring with I am bored

The present participle (~ing) is used to show who or what causes the feeling. So in the first example, I am boring, I make other people feel bored. Maybe I don’t talk very much or do not have many interesting things to talk about. No matter what the reason, when people are around me they soon start to yawn.

ADJECTIVES EXPRESSING FEELINGSCompare:I am boring with I am bored

The past participle (~ed) is used to show who or what ‘has’ or experiences the feeling. So in the second example, I am bored, I am not interested in whatever is happening around me. Maybe I am in a boring lecture (the professor causes me to be bored) or I don’t have a good book to read at home and there is nothing interesting on television.

ADJECTIVES EXPRESSING FEELINGS

Choose the correct answers in the dialogues below

A: I heard you had a blind date* last Saturday. How did it go?

B: It was so boring/bored because all he talked about was his work.

A: What did you talk about?B: Nothing much. I hope he thinks

I’m boring/bored and never calls me again.

COMMONLY CONFUSED ADJECTIVES

amazing/amazedamusing/amusedannoying/annoyedboring/boredchallenging/challengedconfusing/confuseddepressing/depresseddisappointing/disappointedencouraging/encouragedembarrassing/embarrassedexciting/excited

COMMONLY CONFUSED ADJECTIVES

exhausting/exhaustedfascinating/fascinatedfrightening/frightenedfrustrating/frustratedinsulting/insultedinteresting/interestedmoving/moved

COMMONLY CONFUSED ADJECTIVES

pleasing/pleasedrelaxing/relaxedsatisfying/satisfiedshocking/shockedsurprising/surprisedthrilling/thrilledtiring/tiredworrying/worried