Learn the difference between adjectives ending in -ED and -ING with useful rules and examples.
List of adjectives ending in -ED and -ING
- Amazing – Amazed
- Amusing – Amused
- Annoying – Annoyed
- Boring – Bored
- Disgusting – Disgusted
- Disturbing – Disturbed
- Embarrassing – Embarrassed
- Entertaining – Entertained
- Exciting – Excited
- Fascinating – Fascinated
- Frightening – Frightened
- Frustrating – Frustrated
- Inspiring – Inspired
- Interesting – Interested
- Pleasing – Pleased
- Relaxing – Relaxed
- Surprising – Surprised
- Terrifying – Terrified
- Threatening – Threatened
- Thrilling – Thrilled
- Worrying – Worried
Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING
Adjectives that End in -ING
In general, adjectives that end in -ing are used to describe things and situations. They have an active meaning. They describe someone that is doing something (acting) or something that is causing something to us, making us feel in a certain way.
Adjectives that End in -ED
Adjectives that end in -ed are used to describe how people feel. They have a passive meaning. They describe someone receiving some kind of action, made to feel in a certain.
Examples of Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING
- Space science is very interesting to her.
- She is interested in space science.
The -ing adjective tells you about something (space science) . The -ed adjective tells you how somebody feels about something (She is interested in space science because it is very interesting).
Other examples:
- I was disappointed with the movie. I expected it to be much better. (I felt disappointed.)
- The movie was disappointing. I expected it to be much better. (It was a disappointing movie.)
- We were very shocked when we heard the news. (We felt shocked.)
- The news was shocking. (It was a shocking news.)
To make it clearer, lets have a look at the following examples:
- A crying baby
- A running man
- A sleeping cat
They all do something: the baby is crying, the man is running, the cat is sleeping. The -ing adjectives have an active meaning: crying, running and sleeping are used to describe an action.
Now look at these examples with adjectives ending in –ed:
- A smashed window.
- An interested audience
- A confused man
- An excited child
These adjectives are used with a passive meaning. Something has been done to the object (the window) or something/someone has caused people to be in a certain state (the audience, the man, the child) or feel in a certain way.
The adjectives smashed, interested, confused, excited describe states or feelings as a result of something done: the window has been smashed, the audience has been interested, the man has been confused, the child has been excited.