Test it, Fix it. English grammar - Kenna Bourke 2003
-ing or -ed?
Test it
1 Find and correct any sentences that are wrong.
a It's nearly Christmas! I'm so exciting!
b The lesson was very confusing.
c What an amazing party that was!
d There's nothing to do here. It's a very bored town.
e The film was so frightened that the kids hid behind the sofa.
f Are you excited about getting married?
g Bad weather can be very depressing.
h I can see you’re not very interesting. You're not listening to me at all.
i We're all worried about Robert.
j I was absolutely amazing when he gave me the flowers.
2 Choose the best option, A or B.
a It's very ... when the computer doesn't work properly.
A irritated
В irritating
b We were all ... to hear about the accident.
A shocking
В shocked
c Are you ... that you didn't pass the exam?
A disappointing
В disappointed
d This is a ... book about Zanzibar.
A fascinating
В fascinated
e Stop being so ...! That's the third time I've heard that story.
A bored
В boring
f She finds exercise extremely ... .
A tired
В tiring
g I was ... to learn about the history of the castle.
A fascinating
В fascinated
h Why are you ...? There's a lot to do here.
A boring
В bored
i No one seems ... in my plans.
A interested
В interesting
j I'm sure the dog's ... . He never wags his tail.
A depressed
В depressing
Test it again
1 Use the word at the end of each line to make a new word to fill the space.
a I saw a dead mouse in the garden.
It was ...!......
DISGUST
b What's wrong? Are you ... with me?
ANNOY
c I’m not ... . That's not very funny.
AMUSE
d These instructions are very ... .
CONFUSE
I don't understand them.
e My parents aren't ... with my exam results.
SATISFY
f You're ... when you're in a bad mood.
FRIGHT
g I feel ... when I can't solve a problem.
FRUSTRATE
h Do you find astronomy ...?
INTEREST
i Lemon and honey is very ... when you've got a cold.
COMFORT
j Jill was very ... about falling asleep in class.
EMBARRASS
к That roller-coaster ride was ... .
TERRIFY
I I worked hard yesterday. When I got home I was ... .
EXHAUST
m My boss was ... when I resigned.
SURPRISE
n Lying on the beach is very ... .
RELAX
о The midnight movie last night was ... .
HORRIFY
It was about ghosts and vampires.
2 Choose the best caption for the cartoon.
The teacher was very boring.
The teacher was very bored.
Fix it
Answers to Test it
Check your answers. Wrong answer?
Read the right Fix it note to find out why.F
Answers to Test it again
1 a disgusting
b annoyed
c amused
d confusing
e satisfied
f frightening
g frustrated
h interesting
i comforting
j embarrassed
k terrifying
l exhausted
m surprised
n relaxing
o horrifying
2 The teacher was very bored.
Fix it notes
A
Use participles ending in ed to talk about how people feel.
В
Use participles ending in ing when you're describing the reason for a feeling.
Review
-ing or -ed?
You can use present participles (words ending in ing) and past participles (words ending in ed) as adjectives but you need to know the difference between them. It's common for people to mix them up because they look quite similar.
Past participles used as adjectives
• You use past participles, e.g. bored, confused, interested, etc. as adjectives.
They describe how someone feels.
I'm bored.
You're tired.
He's frightened.
We're irritated.
Present participles used as adjectives
• You use present participles, e.g. boring, confusing, interesting, etc. as adjectives. They describe the reason for a person's feelings.
The film was really boring. (The film made me feel bored.)
It was a very frightening film. (That's the reason I was frightened.)
She finds the lessons tiring. (The lessons make her feel tired.)
It was shocking news. (The news shocked us.)
Here's a list of common past and present participles that are used as adjectives:
