Adjectives that exist with both an “-ing” ending and an “ed” ending are often related to feelings, where the “ing” adjective describes something that creates a feeling and the “ed” adjectives describes a person who has the feeling. You can see this with the examples of “bored/boring” and “excited/exciting”:
I was bored.
The movie was boring.
We were excited.
The trip was exciting.
Another note about using “ed” and “ing” adjectives is that you can use an infinitive verb after them to describe the action or situation that creates this feeling. When the adjective is “ing”, the subject should be “it” and not a person:
It was boring to watch that movie.
It was exciting to travel with my friends.
You can see this in the examples for “relieving” and “humiliating” later in this lesson.
Also note that when the subject is a person and you are using the "-ed" form, you can use the preposition "by" to introduce the noun that creates the feeling:
I was bored by the movie.
We were excited by the trip.
For the ten adjectives in this lesson, remember to use the “ing” form to describe something that creates emotion and use the “ed” form to describe a person who has the emotion.
Alarming/Alarmed
The “ing” form describes something that makes someone feel worried about a risk or danger, and the “ed” adjective describes a person who feels worried about a risk or danger:
The spread of Coronavirus is alarming.
Many people are alarmed by the spread of Coronavirus.
Devastating/Devastated
The “ing” form describes something that makes a person feel extremely upset or disappointed, and the “ed” adjective describes a person who feels this way.
His mother’s sudden death was devastating.
He was devastated by his mother’s sudden death.
Relieving/Relieved
The “ing” form describes something that makes a person feel more relaxed when they were previously nervous or stressed about something, and the “ed” adjective describes a person who is less nervous or stressed now than before.
It was relieving to find out that the cancer had not spread.
She was relieved to find out that the cancer had not spread.
Overwhelming/Overwhelmed
The “ing” form describes something that is too strong or too much for a person to manage. The “ed” adjective describes a person who feels like they cannot manage everything they are receiving.
The amount of work they gave me was overwhelming.
I was overwhelmed by the amount of work they gave me.
It can also be used in a positive way:
The support he received from his followers was overwhelming.
He was overwhelmed by the support from his followers.
Fulfilling/Fulfilled
The “ing” form describes something that satisfies a person’s expectation or goal, while the “ed” adjective describes a person who feels satisfied.
The opportunity to work as an intern at Microsoft was very fulfilling.
I was fulfilled by the opportunity to work as an intern at Microsoft.
Captivating/Captivated
The “ing” form describes something that attracts and keeps someone’s full attention, while the “ed” adjective describes a person who is attracted and fully focused on something. It’s similar to “interesting” and “interested” but stronger:
Her musical performance was captivating.
Everyone in the audience was captivated by her performance.
Intriguing/Intrigued
The “ing” form describes something that creates curiosity and mystery so that someone wants to know more about it and the “ed” adjective describes a person who is curious and wants more information.
The description of the book is very intriguing. I’m going to buy it.
I was intrigued by the description of the book.
Insulting/Insulted
The “ing” form describes something that is rude and inappropriate and makes someone feel angry or upset, while the “ed” adjective describes the person who is angry or upset.
His $1 tip was insulting to the waitress.
The waitress was insulted by his $1 tip.
Humiliating/Humiliated
The “ing” form describes a situation that makes a person feel awkward and like a “small” person, and the “ed” adjective describes a person who feels very awkward and “small”. This is similar to “embarrassing” and “embarrassed” but it’s stronger.
It was humiliating to see everyone leave the auditorium during my speech.
I was humiliated when everyone left the auditorium during my speech.
Unnerving/Unnerved
The “ing” form describes a situation that makes a person feel nervous and the “ed” adjective describes a person who feels nervous.
The report about the increasing threat of terrorism is unnerving.
People are unnerved by the report about the increasing threat of terrorism.
Practice
Choose the correct adjective from the options below into the blank:
Alarming / Alarmed / Devastating / Devastated / Humiliating / Humiliated
Captivated / Captivating / Intrigued / Intriguing
His stories from living in the jungle were ________________________.
It was _________________ to get fired from my job in front of all of my coworkers.
She was _________________ when she found out she didn't get the job.
The corruption that was discovered in the government is _________________.
I was _______________ by the advertisement on TV for Apple's new smartwatch.
Choose the correct adjective from the options below into the blank:
Relieving / Relieved / Unnerving / Unnerved / Fulfilled / Fulfilling
Overwhelmed / Overwhelming / Insulting / Insulted
It's _______________ to use your phone while someone is talking to you.
I always dreamed about climbing a mountain , so finally doing it was very __________.
Her parents were _____________ when they found out she was at her friend's house.
I heard that someone was murdered in my neighborhood. It's very ______________.
He was ______________ by the pressure of the job so he quit..
Answers
Part 1:
Captivating ("intriguing" is also possible)
Humiliating
Devastated
Alarming
Intrigued ("captivated" is also possible)
Part 2:
Insulting
Fulfilling
Relieved
Unnerving
Overwhelmed
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