Grammar: ✨ Grammar Essentials: 🧩 Parts of Speech & 🏗️ Sentence Structure (Advanced) (B2) - Lesson 5: Participle Adjectives (-ed vs. -ing endings: bored/boring, interested/interesting)

✨ Lesson 5: Participle Adjectives (-ed vs. -ing)

In English, we can form many adjectives from verbs by adding an '-ed' or '-ing' ending. These are called participle adjectives¹. Choosing the wrong ending can completely change your meaning, and is a very common mistake. For example, "I am bored" and "I am boring" are very different! Today, you will learn the simple rule to always get it right.

The "-ED" Ending: Describes a Feeling

Adjectives that end in '-ed' are used to describe a feeling² or an emotion. They tell us how a person feels about something.

"After walking around the temples all day, I felt very tired."

"She was surprised to see her friend from her hometown in Battambang."

"I am interested in learning more about Cambodian art."

The "-ING" Ending: Describes the Cause of a Feeling

Adjectives that end in '-ing' are used to describe the thing, person, or situation that causes³ the feeling.

"Walking around the temples all day was very tiring." (The walk caused the tired feeling.)

"Seeing her friend was a surprising event." (The event caused the surprise.)

"I think Cambodian art is very interesting." (The art causes the interest.)

Direct Comparison: The Golden Rule

Remember: The -ed ending describes the person's feeling. The -ing ending describes the thing that causes the feeling.

Feeling (-ED)	Cause (-ING)
I am bored.	This movie is boring.
The students are confused4.	The grammar is confusing.
He was annoyed5.	The loud noise was annoying.

🧠 Practice Quiz: Choose the Correct Adjective

Choose the correct adjective to complete each sentence.

1. The movie was so _______. I almost fell asleep. (bored / boring)
   Answer: boring (It describes the movie, the cause of the feeling.)
2. I was so _______ when my friends threw a surprise party for my birthday! (excited / exciting)
   Answer: excited (It describes my feeling.)
3. The map was very _______. We got lost for an hour. (confused / confusing)
   Answer: confusing (It describes the map, the cause of the feeling.)
4. Are you _______ in politics? (interested / interesting)
   Answer: interested (It asks about your feeling.)
5. The sound of mosquitoes at night is very _______. (annoyed / annoying)
   Answer: annoying (It describes the sound, the cause of the feeling.)

📝 Homework: Use Both Forms

Write two related sentences for each word, one using the '-ed' form and one using the '-ing' form.

1. (tired / tiring)
   Example: The long journey was very tiring. I felt very tired when I arrived.
2. (surprised / surprising)
   Example: The news was very surprising. We were all surprised to hear it.
3. (relaxed / relaxing)
   Example: Sitting by the river in Battambang is very relaxing. I always feel relaxed when I am there.

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Participle Adjective: (Noun Phrase) - គុណនាមកិរិយាស័ព្ទ (kŭn'néam kĕ'rĭ'ya'sâp) - An adjective that is formed from a verb, usually ending in -ed or -ing. ↩
2. Feeling: (Noun) - អារម្មណ៍ (a'râm) - An emotional state or reaction. ↩
3. Cause: (Noun) - មូលហេតុ (mul'haet) - A person or thing that makes something happen. ↩
4. Confused: (Adjective) - ច្រឡំ (chrâ'lâm) - Unable to think clearly or to understand something. ↩
5. Annoyed: (Adjective) - រំខាន (rum'khaan) - Slightly angry; bothered or irritated. ↩