'ed' and 'ing' Adjective Exercises + Understand the Difference
Other Exercises You Might Like
Do you want to know the difference between “I am interested in ___” and “It is interesting“? This page will give an explanation and provide exercises and converations for you to practice ‘ed’ and ‘ing’ adjectives.
What is the difference between 'ed' and 'ing' adjectives?
The difference is that we use ‘ed’ ending adjectives to express our feelings:
🔹”I am bored“
🔹”I am interested in this movie”
We use ‘ing’ ending adjectives to express- the characteristic of something:
🔹”The holiday was boring“
🔹”This movie is very interesting“
Practice the exercises below to fully understand the difference.
Exercise 1
Click to see the answers and explanations.
Exercise 1
Click to see the answers and explanations.
1 . The student was very _________ with her studies.
confused / confusing
✅The student was confused.
Why?
Because the sentence describes the students feelings.
2. Mary feels very ________ when she works on her computer.
relaxed / relaxing
✅Mary feels relaxed when she works on her computer.
Why?
We use an ‘ed’ adjective because it describes Mary’s feeling.
3. She finds reading a book and sleeping in a hammock very _________.
relaxed / relaxing
✅She finds reading a book and sleeping in a hammock very relaxing.
Why?
Because it describes the characteristic of relaxing, not her feelings.
4. When they checked their results they were _______ to see their scores.
surprised / surprising
✅ surprised
Why?
Because it describes their feelings.
5. Dan does the same thing every day. Sometimes he finds it very _________,
bored / boring
✅ boring
Why?
Because it describes the characteristic of a doing the same thing.
7. It has been a busy day and Tanya is very ______ in her office.
bored / boring
✅ bored
Why?
Because it describes Tanya’s feelings.
6. When you have a good rest, it is very _________.
energised / energising
✅ energising
Why?
Because it describes the characteristic of a good rest.
8. This week, Carol’s performance is ________.
disappointed / disappointing
✅ disappointing
Why?
Because it describes the characteristic of Carol’s performance.
9. When he looked at the mountain he felt very _________.
worried / worrying
✅worried
Why?
Because it describes the mountain climber’s feelings.
10. A team member felt _________during the activity.
annoyed / annoying
✅ annoyed
Why?
Because it describes the feelings of a team member.
11. Lori was _______ after the movie. She doesn’t want to watch a horror movie again!
terrified / terrifying
✅terrified
Why?
This describes her feelings and emotion.
12. Their New Year’s party is very ______.
excited / exciting
✅ exciting
Why?
Because it describes the characteristic of the New Year’s party.
13. Megan is very _______ about her pregnancy. She is due to give birth next week.
excited / exciting
✅excited
Why?
Because this expresses Megan’s feelings.
14. I will visit her in Milan ___ the 23rd of May.
surprised / surprising
✅on
Why?
New Years Day is a specific day.
15. I will visit her in Milan ___ the 23rd of May.
surprised / surprising
✅in
Why?
We use ‘in’ for specific years.
16. John is __________ with his performance, and his boss is not happy.
disappointed / disappointing
✅ disappointed
Why?
Because this is about John’s feelings.
17. Amusement park rides and games are very ______. That is why they get their name.
amused / amusing
✅ amusing
Why?
This describes the characteristic of the amusement park. It has nothing to do with feelings.
18. Diane feels ________ to start running and exercising.
energised / energising
✅energised
Why?
This is about Diane’s feelings.
19. The movie’s sound effects are _______.
terrified / terrifying
✅ terrifying
Why?
This describes the characteristic of the movie, and not any feelings.
20. “This work is very ________. I will take a break now”.
annoyed / annoying
✅ annoying
Why?
It describes the characteristic of the work.
