Adjectives Ending in -ed and -ing

-ed describes feelings; -ing describes the cause.

Examples

• I am bored.
• The film is boring.

Key rules

• -ed adjectives describe how a person feels (bored, excited, tired)
• -ing adjectives describe the thing or person that causes the feeling (boring, exciting)
• Both come from verbs: bore, excite, tire
• A person can be boring if they bore others

Common mistakes

• I am boring → I am bored
• The film is bored → The film is boring