Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING

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Some adjectives have the characteristic of ending in -ed and -ing. Learn the difference between Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING with useful rules and examples.

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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, let’s 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.

Notes | Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING

We can use adjectives ending in -ing for things or people. Remember that when we use adjectives ending in -ing, it is describing the person or thing.
We can use the -ed ONLY for people (or animals) because THINGS CANNOT FEEL.

List of Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING

Amazing – Amazed

Amusing – Amused

Annoying – Annoyed

Boring – Bored

Challenging – Challenged

Charming – Charmed

Confusing – Confused

Convincing – Convinced

Depressing – Depressed

Disappointing – Disappointed

Disgusting – Disgusted

Disturbing – Disturbed

Embarrassing – Embarrassed

Entertaining – Entertained

Exciting – Excited

Exhausting – Exhausted

Depressing – Depressed

Disappointing – Disappointed

Fascinating – Fascinated

Frightening – Frightened

Frustrating – Frustrated

Inspiring – Inspired

Interesting – Interested

Pleasing – Pleased

Relaxing – Relaxed

Relieving – Relieved

Satisfying – Satisfied

Shocking – Shocked

Surprising – Surprised

Terrifying – Terrified

Threatening – Threatened

Thrilling – Thrilled

Tiring – Tired

Touching – Touched

Worrying – Worried