Interested or Interesting? How To Use Participle Adjectives Correctly | [current-page:pager]DailyStep English
What is the difference between Interest
ing
and Interest
ed
? Bor
ed
and Bor
ing
? Embarrass
ed
or Embarrass
ing?
So please take this FREE QUIZ + AUDIO LESSON to make sure you understand this important grammar topic.
Then test yourself with the FREE WRITING QUIZ at the bottom of the page.
Are you ready? Please start the first FREE QUIZ:
Participle Adjectives – are they Interested or Interesting?
by Jane Lawson at DailyStep.com
It is such a common mistake – and I hear it even from advanced learners! I’m talking about the confusion between present and past participle adjectives. For example, Interested and Interesting, Bored and Boring, Excited and Exciting.
But first – quick grammar check…. Do you know what a participle is?
It’s simple: all verbs have a present participle (verb + -ING) and a past participle, which in regular verbs is always VERB + -ED.
So, how can you use participle as adjectives? Let’s take a look:
1. This book is interesting.
2. I am interested in this book.
In sentence 1 the present participle INTERESTING describes the book.
In sentence 2, the past participle INTERESTED describes how I feel about the book.
So, the rule is this:
The Present participle (- ING) describes a person or thing
The past participle (- ED) describes how you feel about a person or thing.
This is an easy rule to remember, so if you learn it, your English will immediately get much better.
Why is this? Because we can make participle adjectives out of so many verbs. Also, spoken and written English exams (such as IELTS, Cambridge First Certificate, Cambridge Proficiency and so on) ask you to say how you feel about things.
So if you get these participle adjectives mixed up, you will lose marks in exams and people will misunderstand you when you speak.
**Always remember to learn the correct preposition, for example INTERESTED IN, WORRIED ABOUT, BORED WITH and so on.**
If you really want to impress your examiner, make sure you use different ways of expressing the same thing. So in addition to sentences 1 and 2 above, you can also express the same ideas like this:
3. This book interests me. (note: the passive form of this is “I am interested in this book.”)
4. I find this book interesting. (note: this means “I think that this book is interesting.”)
Here are some more examples of participle adjectives, showing their correct preposition:
Verb
Present participle
Past participle
excite
exciting
excited about
relax
relaxing
relaxed about
frighten
frightening
frightened of
bore
boring
bored with
worry
worrying
worried about
NOW, QUIZ TIME
It’s time to check your understanding! Choose the right form in the sentences below. The answers are at the bottom of this blog page:
1. The film was very __________ . (frightened/frightening)
2. He was so __________ after his holiday . (relaxed/relaxing)
3. Your new job sounds __________ – I guess you are very __________ about it. (excited/exciting)
4. These instructions are really __________ . I’m so __________. Can you help me please? (confused / confusing)
5. I’m __________. I find this museum very __________ . I can’t stop yawning! (bored/boring)
6. He is extremely __________ about this political situation. He finds it __________. (worried/worrying)
The answers to this quiz are at the bottom of this page.
Now write your own sentences using participle adjectives. Make sure they are true to your own life as this will help you to remember them better.
That’s all for Audio Word Study #132 from Jane Lawson at DailyStep.com
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Quiz Answers
1. The film was very frightening.
2. He was so relaxed after his holiday .
3. Your new job sounds exciting – I guess you are very excited about it.
4. These instructions are really confusing . I’m so confused. Can you help me please?
5. I’m bored. I find this museum very boring. I can’t stop yawning!
6. He is extremely worried about this political situation. He finds it worrying.
How did you do in the Quiz? Don’t forget to write your own sentences using participle adjectives.
Free Quiz and Lesson – How to use participle adjectives in English
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