Intermediate 📐 Grammar · #130 of 305

Participle Adjectives

-ed describes feelings; -ing describes causes.

Examples

  • I'm bored.
  • It's boring.

Key rules

  • -ing describes the cause, -ed describes the feeling
  • Examples: boring/bored, interesting/interested
  • Use them before nouns or after be
  • Many emotion verbs have both forms

Common mistakes

  • I am boring in class → I am bored in class
  • The film was very excited → The film was very exciting
💡 Tip: Ask: does the person feel it or does the thing cause it?
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Related Intermediate topics

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Present Perfect Continuous

have been + -ing stresses duration up to now.

Past Perfect

had + past participle for an earlier past action.

Past Perfect Continuous

had been + -ing for duration before a past moment.

Future Continuous

will be + -ing for actions in progress at a future time.

Future Perfect

will have + past participle for completion before a future time.

Future Perfect Continuous

will have been + -ing for duration up to a future point.