Are You Bored, or Boring?
Neither is a good thing, but I think it’s better to be bored than to be boring.
Maybe you aren’t interested in anything. Life doesn’t seem very interesting. You’re tired of your work. It’s too tiring!
People learning English often confuse these little adjectives that are formed from a verb and end with –ed and –ing. They’re called participles or participial adjectives.
What’s the difference between the participles that end with –ing and those that end with –ed?
Participles that end with –ing are called present participial adjectives. They have an active meaning. The noun they describe does or performs the action. For example:
This is a boring class. The class is doing the action. It is boring you.
This is an interesting movie. The movie is doing the action. It is interesting you.
This is a tiring job. The job is doing the action. It is tiring you.
Participles that end with –ed are called past participial adjectives. They have a passive meaning. The noun they describe feels or receives the action. For example:
I am bored (because this class is boring).
I am interested (because this movie is interesting).
I am tired (because my job is tiring).
As you can see, there’s a big difference between being bored, and being boring! Using these little words incorrectly can confuse your listener. Is what you say confusing? Is your listener confused? The best way to practice is to keep repeating common expressions until they become stuck in your mind. You should know the difference between common adjectives such as:
Bored and boring
Interested and interesting
Tired and tiring
Surprised and surprising
Excited and exciting
Confused and confusing
This is a great little quiz you can take to practice these adjectives and a few more. (Note for American English: we use sports in its plural form when we are talking about sports in general; we use sport in its singular form when we are talking about a particular sport. So, for example, I’m really into sports, and football is my favorite sport.)
