Understanding the Use of -ing and -ed with Emotion Words

Key Points

1. The “-ing” Form

-ing adjectives describe the source of the emotion. This means that the -ing form is used to talk about something that causes a feeling. Here are some examples:

• This movie is exciting!
• The movie causes excitement.
• The book excitingly told the spy story.
• The way the book told the story was exciting.
• This manual is very confusing.
• The manual causes confusion.

2. The “-ed” Form

-ed adjectives describe the destination of the emotion. This means that the -ed form is used to talk about the person who experiences the feeling. Here are some examples:

• I am excited by/about this movie!
• The person feels excited because of the movie.
• I excitedly read the spy story in the book.
• The person reads the story with excitement.
• I am very confused by this manual.
• The person feels confused because of the manual.

Examples with More Emotion Words

Here are more examples with other emotion words:

• Amazed / Amazing

• The magic show was amazing. (The show causes amazement.)
• I was amazed by the magic tricks. (I felt amazement because of the tricks.)

• Interested / Interesting

• The lecture was interesting. (The lecture causes interest.)
• She is very interested in history. (She feels interest because of history.)

• Frustrated / Frustrating

• The puzzle was frustrating. (The puzzle causes frustration.)
• He was frustrated with the puzzle. (He felt frustration because of the puzzle.)

• Bored / Boring

• The movie was boring. (The movie causes boredom.)
• They were bored during the movie. (They felt boredom because of the movie.)

• Annoyed / Annoying

• The noise was annoying. (The noise causes annoyance.)
• She was annoyed by the noise. (She felt annoyance because of the noise.)

• Alarmed / Alarming

• The news was alarming. (The news causes alarm.)
• He was alarmed by the news. (He felt alarm because of the news.)

• Calmed / Calming

• The music was calming. (The music causes calmness.)
• She felt calmed by the music. (She felt calm because of the music.)

• Shocked / Shocking

• The revelation was shocking. (The revelation causes shock.)
• They were shocked by the revelation. (They felt shock because of the revelation.)

• Amused / Amusing

• The joke was amusing. (The joke causes amusement.)
• He was amused by the joke. (He felt amusement because of the joke.)

• Embarrassed / Embarrassing The mistake was embarrassing. (The mistake causes embarrassment.) She was embarrassed by her mistake. (She felt embarrassment because of the mistake.)
• Exhausted / Exhausting The hike was exhausting. (The hike causes exhaustion.) They were exhausted after the hike. (They felt exhaustion because of the hike.)
• Depressed / Depressing The news was depressing. (The news causes depression.) He felt depressed after hearing the news. (He felt depression because of the news.)
• Disturbed / Disturbing The scene was disturbing. (The scene causes disturbance.) She was disturbed by the scene. (She felt disturbed because of the scene.)
• Relaxed / Relaxing The vacation was relaxing. (The vacation causes relaxation.) They felt relaxed after the vacation. (They felt relaxation because of the vacation.)
• Worried / Worrying The situation is worrying. (The situation causes worry.) He is worried about the situation. (He feels worry because of the situation.)
• Confused / Confusing The instructions were confusing. (The instructions cause confusion.) I was confused by the instructions. (I felt confusion because of the instructions.)
• Insulted / Insulting His comment was insulting. (The comment causes insult.) She felt insulted by his comment. (She felt insult because of the comment.)

Summary

• -ing adjectives describe the source of an emotion.
• Example: This book is interesting.
• -ed adjectives describe the destination of an emotion (the person who feels it).
• Example: I am interested in this book.

Using these rules will help you communicate more clearly and understand the emotions being described in English conversations and texts.