What’s the difference between -ed and -ing adjectives & How to use them correctly

Many English adjectives are formed with a verb plus an -ed or -ing ending.

Some common examples of -ed and -ing adjectives are:

• Excited/exciting
• Interested/interesting
• Bored/boring
• Tired/tiring
• Surprised/surprising

We use these kinds of adjectives to talk about feelings and emotions, and the things that cause those feelings. It’s important to use the correct word; otherwise, you may say something with a different meaning from what you intended.

So, let’s take a look at when to use adjectives ending in -ed and -ing, and the difference in meaning between the two. We have also listed some more common examples of these words so you can vary your English vocabulary.

What’s the difference between -ed and -ing adjectives?

The simplest way to know whether to use an -ed or -ing adjective is to think about what is being described. Here’s the general pattern that these adjectives follow:

If you are describing a feeling, emotion, or opinion, you should use the -ed ending. For example:

• I feel relaxed when I read a book.
• I was so bored at work today.
• She is very excited about the party tonight.
• He was embarrassed to realize he had spilled food down his shirt before the interview.
• My parents always get irritated when I play my music too loud.

If you are describing a thing that causes or evokes a feeling, emotion, or opinion, then use the -ing ending. For example:

• Reading a book is very relaxing.
• Work today was so boring.
• The party sounds exciting.
• You went to an interview with food spilled down your shirt? How embarrassing!
• My parents find loud music irritating.

At first, it may take some time for you to think this way and work out which version is correct, but with regular practice, you should find that it comes naturally to you and you won’t have to think at all.

Check the spelling rules for adding suffixes like -ed and -ing, if you’re unsure.

Common mistakes with adjectives ending in -ed and -ing

The most common mistake that English learners make with these adjectives is to use an -ing adjective to describe a person when really they mean to use an -ed adjective.

This results in sentences that might be grammatically correct, but probably don’t have the intended meaning, such as:

• Jane has been working hard all day. She’s tiring.
• I’m so boring today.
• Are you exciting about our vacation?
• She is very interesting in collecting fossils.
• He’s so annoying because he lost his wallet.

Let’s fix these so that we are describing the person’s feelings or emotions rather than the effect they have on something or someone else:

• Jane has been working hard all day. She’s tired.
• I’m so bored today.
• Are you excited about our vacation?
• She is very interested in collecting fossils.
• He’s so annoyed because he lost his wallet.

Note that ‘excited about’ and ‘interested in’ are always used in this way, and not with the -ing adjectives.

Another common mistake is to assume that an -ed adjective has an -ing equivalent, or vice versa, when in fact it doesn’t. This brings us on to some exceptions.

Common exceptions: -ed and -ing adjectives that don’t form a pair

You may have noticed that not all adjectives with -ed and -ing endings have a partner that follows the pattern just described.

Here are some of the most common exceptions where only one of the adjectives ends in -ing or -ed:

Varying your vocabulary

You can, in theory, use both the -ed and -ing adjectives in the same sentence. For example:

• I am shocked because I just received some shocking news.
• I am always amused by this amusing film.
• I feel so irritated from talking to my irritating friend.

We would not naturally do this because it creates repetition, but it can be a helpful way to work out which is the correct word to use in a particular context

To make these sentences more natural, we could use different adjectives such as:

• I am shocked because I just received some upsetting news.
• I am always amused by this entertaining film.
• I feel so irritated from talking to my annoying friend.

The list of -ed vs -ing adjectives below will help you keep your vocabulary varied.

List of 64 common -ed and -ing adjectives

Here is a comprehensive list of pairs of adjectives ending in -ed and -ing. It is by no means complete – you will come across many more obscure words that follow the same pattern – but we have covered the most common ones here.

Are there any other common -ed and -ing adjectives that we have missed? If so, leave a comment below to let us know. You can learn about some more confusing adjectives and adverbs here.

You are also welcome to ask any questions you have about this topic, especially if you’re unsure which adjective form is correct in a particular sentence.