Many English adjectives come in pairs — one form ending in -ing, one ending in -ed. Interesting / interested. Boring / bored. Tiring / tired. The two forms come from the same verb and look similar, but they mean different things. The -ing form describes the thing or person that causes a feeling. A film can be interesting because it makes you interested. The -ed form describes the person who feels the feeling. You are interested because the film is interesting. Mixing up the two is one of the most common B1 errors. Students often say I am very boring when they mean I am very bored, or The film was excited when they mean The film was exciting. The grammar of these two forms is the same, but the meaning is the opposite. This lesson shows teachers how to teach the difference clearly and how to drill the rule until it is automatic.
Before you start — think honestly about your own teaching and experience.
Look at the examples. Answer each question before reading the explanation — this is how your students will learn too.
The lesson is interesting. (the lesson causes the feeling)
The students are interested. (the students feel the interest)
The long journey was tiring. (the journey caused tiredness)
After the journey, we were tired. (we felt the tiredness)
The news is shocking. (the news causes shock)
We were shocked by the news. (we felt the shock)
In each pair, both adjectives come from the same verb (interest, tire, shock). What rule explains which form to use when?
The rule is about who or what causes the feeling and who or what feels it. The -ing form describes the cause — the thing that makes someone feel something. A lesson, a journey, a piece of news can all be interesting, tiring, or shocking because they cause those feelings in people. The -ed form describes the person who has the feeling — the one feeling interested, tired, or shocked. The same idea can be expressed both ways. The lesson is interesting (cause) and The students are interested (feeler) describe the same situation from two angles. Students need to learn to ask: am I describing the thing that causes the feeling, or the person who has the feeling? The answer tells them which form to use.
The ________ student watched the ________ film.
Which combination is correct?
A: The interesting student watched the interested film. ✗
B: The interested student watched the interesting film. ✓
C: The interesting student watched the interesting film. ✗
D: The interested student watched the interested film. ✗
Why is only B correct? What does each wrong version say?
Only B is correct. Let us look at each version. A says the student is interesting (causes interest in others) and the film is interested (feels interest) — but films cannot feel anything, so this is wrong. C says both the student and the film are interesting — possible if both are causing interest in someone else, but unusual. D says both feel interested — but films cannot feel. B is the natural meaning: the student feels interested (-ed for the person), and the film causes the interest (-ing for the cause). This shows the rule clearly. Things like films, books, lessons, weather, news cause feelings — they take -ing. People who experience feelings take -ed. (Note: people can also be described with -ing if they cause feelings in others — She is an interesting woman means she causes interest in others — but this is a different meaning.)
What the student means: I am bored. (I feel boredom — the lesson is dull.)
What the student says: I am boring. (I cause boredom — I am a dull person.)
What the student means: I was very excited about my exam. (I felt excitement.)
What the student says: I was very exciting about my exam. (I caused excitement in others.)
These errors are extremely common at B1 level. Why? And how can teachers fix them so they do not return?
This error is so common because the two forms look similar and feel like they should be interchangeable. In many other languages, there is just one form for both meanings, so students do not naturally make the distinction. The result is that students reach for the form they have heard most often (often -ing because it is taught first) and use it for both meanings. The fix is explicit teaching with memorable examples. The example I am boring vs I am bored is funny — students laugh when they see it, and that helps them remember. Once a student understands that I am boring is an insult to themselves, they pay attention to which form to use. Drilling the most common pairs (interesting/interested, boring/bored, tiring/tired, exciting/excited) until the choice is automatic is the only way to prevent the error from returning.
| Pattern | Description | Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ing form | Describes the thing that causes the feeling | an interesting book / a tiring journey / shocking news / a boring lesson | Used for things, events, situations, weather, news. Also for people if they cause the feeling in others (She is an interesting speaker). |
| -ed form | Describes the person who feels the feeling | the interested student / the tired traveller / the shocked audience / the bored child | Used for people and animals — the ones who experience the feeling. |
| Same pair, two angles | Both forms can describe the same situation from different angles | The lesson is interesting (cause) | The students are interested (feelers) | Practise saying both versions of the same idea — it makes the difference clear. |
| The funny error | Saying -ing form about yourself when -ed is meant | WRONG: I am boring. → I cause boredom in others. | RIGHT: I am bored. → I feel boredom. | This error is common and accidentally insulting to the speaker. Use the funny example to fix the rule. |
| Common pairs | The most useful pairs to drill | interesting/interested, boring/bored, tiring/tired, exciting/excited, confusing/confused | Teach as pairs — the two forms together — so students see the relationship. |
| Less common pairs | Other pairs that follow the same rule | surprising/surprised, frightening/frightened, worrying/worried, embarrassing/embarrassed | Same rule applies. Once students know the pattern, all pairs are predictable. |
| Things that usually take -ing | Causes of feelings | films, books, weather, lessons, news, journeys, situations | These cause feelings in people who experience them. |
| Things that usually take -ed | Feelers of feelings | students, audience, children, travellers, parents, teachers | These feel the feelings caused by other things. |
PATTERN 1 — The cause vs the feeler: The -ing form describes the thing that CAUSES a feeling (an interesting film). The -ed form describes the person who FEELS that feeling (an interested viewer). The film causes the interest; the viewer feels it. This is the central rule, and every other pattern follows from it.
PATTERN 2 — Things take -ing, people take -ed: A useful starting rule. Films, books, lessons, weather, news, journeys, situations cause feelings — they usually take -ing. People feel feelings — they usually take -ed. So a film is exciting; a viewer is excited. A journey is tiring; the travellers are tired. There are exceptions (a person can cause a feeling, in which case they take -ing — She is an interesting woman), but the starting rule helps students avoid the most common error.
PATTERN 3 — Same situation, two angles: The same situation can be described with -ing (focusing on the cause) or -ed (focusing on the feeler). Both are correct, but they describe the same thing from different angles. The lesson is boring (the lesson is the cause). The students are bored (the students feel the boredom). Practising both versions of the same idea trains students to see the rule.
PATTERN 4 — The funny error trap: Saying I am boring when meaning I am bored is one of the most common errors. The first means I cause boredom in others (I am a dull person). The second means I feel boredom (I am not enjoying this). Students who use I am boring accidentally insult themselves. The funny consequence is memorable and helps fix the rule.
PATTERN 5 — Same verb, two adjectives: The pairs come from the same verb. To interest someone → interesting (cause) / interested (feeler). To bore someone → boring (cause) / bored (feeler). To excite someone → exciting (cause) / excited (feeler). Once students see this pattern, they can predict the pair for any new verb of feeling: to surprise → surprising / surprised. To frighten → frightening / frightened. To confuse → confusing / confused.
PATTERN 6 — The rule is simple, the practice is hard: The rule is one sentence (cause = -ing, feeler = -ed). But applying it in real-time speech is hard because students must decide which they mean and pick the right form. Drilling pairs aloud, in context, is the most effective practice. Just learning the rule is not enough — students need many spoken examples to make the choice automatic.
The -ing / -ed adjective error is one of the most persistent errors in learner English. Students at B1 and even B2 level still mix the two forms in speaking, even after they have learned the rule. The reason is that the rule must be applied very fast — in the moment of speaking — and the difference between the two forms is small in pronunciation. For writing, students have time to check; for speaking, they need automatic recall. The most effective teaching is repeated drilling of the most common pairs in real-life contexts (talking about lessons, films, weather, journeys), with immediate correction every time the wrong form is used. Over time, the correct form becomes automatic — but it takes weeks of consistent practice, not just one lesson.
Use the funny example to fix the rule. Write on the board: I am boring. and I am bored. Ask: which one means I am a dull person? Students will laugh when they see it. Make sure they understand that I am boring is accidentally insulting to themselves. Once the joke lands, students remember the rule. Refer back to the joke whenever a student makes the mistake.
Choose the correct form (-ing or -ed) for each sentence. Ask: is this the cause of the feeling or the one feeling it?
Each sentence has the wrong form (-ing or -ed). Find the error, write the correct sentence, and explain.
Use this sequence directly in class — guided discovery, no textbook needed. Tap each step to mark it done.
STEP 1 — One verb, two adjectives (5 min): Write the verb interest on the board. Then add interesting and interested. Ask students: do these mean the same thing? Discuss. Establish that one form (interesting) describes the cause and the other form (interested) describes the feeler. Show the same pattern with bore → boring/bored.
STEP 2 — The funny error (5 min): Write on the board: I am boring. and I am bored. Ask: which one means I am dull and uninteresting? Students laugh. Make the joke memorable: I am boring tells everyone that I am the dull one. I am bored tells them the situation is dull. Use this as the anchor for the rule.
STEP 3 — Things vs people (6 min): Write two columns on the board. THINGS THAT CAUSE FEELINGS: films, books, lessons, weather, news, journeys. PEOPLE WHO FEEL FEELINGS: students, audience, children, travellers. Drill: a film is __ (-ing); a viewer is __ (-ed). A journey is __ (-ing); a traveller is __ (-ed). Establish the starting rule that things usually take -ing and people usually take -ed.
STEP 4 — Both forms of the same idea (7 min): Practise expressing the same situation two ways. The lesson is interesting / The students are interested. The journey was tiring / We were tired. The film was boring / I was bored. Each student takes a situation and produces both versions. This drills the parallel between cause and feeler.
STEP 5 — True sentences (7 min): Each student writes three true sentences about themselves using -ed adjectives (I am bored when…, I get excited when…, I feel confused when…) and three true sentences about things using -ing adjectives (My favourite film is exciting because…, This grammar lesson is confusing because…, A long journey is tiring because…). Share and check. Errors are corrected immediately.
Use directly in class — copy, adapt, or read aloud. No printing needed.
For each strategy, choose the option that best describes where you are now.
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