English Grammar in Use With Answers » Unit 98: Adjectives ending in -ing and -ed (boring/bored etc.)

Many adjectives end in -ing and -ed, for example: boring and bored. Study this example situation:

Jane has been doing the same job for a very long time. Every day she does exactly the same thing again and again. She doesn't enjoy her job any more and would like to do something different.

Jane's job is boring.

Jane is bored (with her job).


Somebody is bored if something (or somebody else) is boring. Or, if something is boring, it makes you bored. So:
  • Jane is bored because her job is boring.
  • Jane's job is boring, so Jane is bored. (not Jane is boring)

If a person is boring, this means that they make other people bored:
  • George always talks about the same things. He's really boring.

Compare adjectives ending in -ing and -ed:

My job is boring.I'm bored with my job.
My job is interesting.I'm not interested in my job any more.
My job is tiring.I get very tired doing my job.
My job is satisfying.I'm not satisfied with my job.
My job is depressing. (etc.)My job makes me depressed. (etc.)
In these examples, the -ing adjective tells you about the job.In these examples, the -ed adjective tells you how somebody feels (about the job).

Compare these examples:

interesting
  • Julia thinks politics is interesting.
  • Did you meet anyone interesting at the party?
interested
  • Julia is interested in politics. (not interesting in politics)
  • Are you interested in buying a car?
    I'm trying to sell mine.
surprising
  • lt was surprising that he passed the exam.
surprised
  • Everybody was surprised that he passed the exam.
disappointing
  • The movie was disappointing. We expected it to be much better.
disappointed
  • We were disappointed with the movie. We expected it to be much better.
shocking
  • The news was shocking.
shocked
  • I was shocked when I heard the news.

98.1 Complete the sentences for each situation. Use the word in brackets + -ing or -ed.

  1. The movie wasn't as good as we had expected. (disappoint ... )
    a) The movie was (1) .
    b) We were (2) with the movie.
  2. Donna teaches young children. It's a very hard job, but she en joys it. (exhaust ... )
    a) She enjoys her job, but it's often (3) __________ .
    b) At the end of a day's work, she is often (4) __________ .
  3. It's been raining all day. I hate this weather. (depress ... )
    a) This weather is (5) __________ .
    b) This weather makes me (6) __________ .
    c) It's silly to get (7) __________ because of the weather.
  4. Clare is going to Mexico next month. She has never been there before. (excit ... )
    a) It will be an (8) __________ experience for her.
    b) Going to new places is always (9) __________ .
    c) She is really (10) __________ about going to Mexico.

98.2 Choose the correct word.

  1. I was disappointing / disappointed with the film. I had expected it to be better.
    • disappointing
    • disappointed
  2. Are you interesting / interested in football?
    • interesting
    • interested
  3. The new project sounds exciting / excited. I'm looking forward to working on it.
    • exciting
    • excited
  4. It's embarrassing / embarrassed when you have to ask people for money.
    • embarrassing
    • embarrassed
  5. Do you easily get embarrassing / embarrassed?
    • embarrassing
    • embarrassed
  6. I had never expected to get the job. I was really amazing / amazed when I was offered it.
    • amazing
    • amazed
  7. She has really learnt very fast. She has made amazing / amazed progress.
    • amazing
    • amazed
  8. I didn't find the situation funny. I was not amusing / amused.
    • amusing
    • amused
  9. It was a really terrifying / terrified experience. Everybody was very shocked.
    • terrifying
    • terrified
  10. Why do you always look so boring / bored? Is your life really so boring?
    • boring
    • bored
  11. He's one of the most boring / bored people I've ever met. He never stops talking and he never says anything interesting.
    • boring
    • bored

98.3 Complete each sentence using a word from the box.

  • amusing/amused
  • annoying/annoyed
  • boring/bored
  • confusing/confused
  • disgusting/disgusted
  • exciting/excited
  • exhausting/exhausted
  • interesting/interested
  • surprising/surprised
  1. He works very hard. It's not that he's always tired.
  2. I've got nothing to do. I'm __________ .
  3. The teacher's explanation was __________ . Most of the students didn't understand it.
  4. The kitchen hadn't been cleaned for ages. It was really __________ .
  5. I don't visit art galleries very often. I'm not particularly __________ in art.
  6. There's no need to get __________ just because I'm a few minutes late.
  7. The lecture was __________ . I fell asleep.
  8. I've been working very hard all day and now I'm __________ .
  9. I'm starting a new job next week. I'm very __________ about it.
  10. Steve is good at telling funny stories. He can be very __________ .
  11. Helen is a very __________ person. She knows a lot, she's travelled a lot and she's done lots of different things.

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