-Ed vs. -Ing Adjectives – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are reading a conversation between a student and a professor discussing recent exam results. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “Professor, I just saw the grading sheet. The results of the final exam are quite ______!”
(A) surprise
(B) surprised
(C) surprising
(D) surprisingly
2 “I know! I was completely ______ when I calculated the class average this morning.”
(A) surprise
(B) surprised
(C) surprising
(D) surprisingly
3 “It is truly ______ that almost everyone in the class got an A.”
(A) amaze
(B) amazed
(C) amazing
(D) amazingly
4 “The students were absolutely ______ to see that their hard work finally paid off.”
(A) amaze
(B) amazed
(C) amazing
(D) amazement
5 “To be honest, we thought the essay questions were a bit ______ at first.”
(A) confuse
(B) confused
(C) confusing
(D) confusion
6 “I noticed that several students looked ______ during the first ten minutes of the test.”
(A) confuse
(B) confused
(C) confusing
(D) confusion
7 “Despite the difficult questions, the overall performance of the class was highly ______.”
(A) satisfy
(B) satisfied
(C) satisfying
(D) satisfaction
8 “As your professor, I am deeply ______ with the progress you all have made.”
(A) satisfy
(B) satisfied
(C) satisfying
(D) satisfaction
9 “The sudden improvement in the data analysis section was completely ______.”
(A) shock
(B) shocked
(C) shocking
(D) shockingly
10 “I was pleasantly ______ to see that no one failed that challenging section.”
(A) shock
(B) shocked
(C) shocking
(D) shockingly
11 “The amount of detail the class provided in the answers was truly ______.”
(A) fascinate
(B) fascinated
(C) fascinating
(D) fascination
12 “I was ______ by how well everyone connected the theories to real-world examples.”
(A) fascinate
(B) fascinated
(C) fascinating
(D) fascination
13 “It is very ______ to see such dedication from a freshman class.”
(A) encourage
(B) encouraged
(C) encouraging
(D) encouragement
14 “The class felt highly ______ after hearing your positive feedback today.”
(A) encourage
(B) encouraged
(C) encouraging
(D) encouragement
15 “The fact that everyone finished the exam 20 minutes early was quite ______.”
(A) interest
(B) interested
(C) interesting
(D) interestingly
16 “I am very ______ in knowing what study methods you all used together.”
(A) interest
(B) interested
(C) interesting
(D) interestingly
17 “The volume of study materials was ______, but the study groups handled it perfectly.”
(A) overwhelm
(B) overwhelmed
(C) overwhelming
(D) overwhelmingly
18 “I know many of you felt ______ before the exam week started, but you survived!”
(A) overwhelm
(B) overwhelmed
(C) overwhelming
(D) overwhelmingly
19 “A class average of 95% is a very ______ achievement for this department.”
(A) please
(B) pleased
(C) pleasing
(D) pleasure
20 “You should all be very ______ with yourselves. Enjoy your winter break!”
(A) please
(B) pleased
(C) pleasing
(D) pleasure
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) surprising
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes “the results”. The results are the source that causes the emotion. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (B) Results cannot feel surprised. (D) Adverb.
2 (B) surprised
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the professor’s internal emotional state (“I was…”). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (C) “Surprising” would mean the professor causes surprise to others, which changes the meaning. (D) Adverb.
3 (C) amazing
- Why it is correct (The Key): “It is…” refers to the fact/event (everyone getting an A). The event causes the amazement. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) An event cannot feel amazed. (D) Adverb.
4 (B) amazed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the internal feeling of the students (“The students were…”). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the event, not the people receiving the feeling. (D) Noun.
5 (C) confusing
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “essay questions”. The questions cause confusion. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Questions cannot feel confused. (D) Noun.
6 (B) confused
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the mental state of the “several students” (they received the confusion). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Means the students were confusing the professor. (D) Noun.
7 (C) satisfying
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “overall performance”. The performance causes satisfaction. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A performance cannot feel satisfied. (D) Noun.
8 (B) satisfied
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the professor’s internal emotion (“I am deeply…”). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the situation. (D) Noun.
9 (C) shocking
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “sudden improvement” (an event that causes shock). → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) An improvement cannot feel shocked. (D) Adverb.
10 (B) shocked
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the professor’s emotional reaction (“I was pleasantly…”). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the situation. (D) Adverb.
11 (C) fascinating
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “amount of detail”. It produces the fascination. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Details cannot feel fascinated. (D) Noun.
12 (B) fascinated
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the professor’s mental state (“I was…”). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the answers. (D) Noun.
13 (C) encouraging
- Why it is correct (The Key): “It is…” refers to the situation (seeing the dedication). The situation provides encouragement. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A situation cannot feel encouraged. (D) Noun.
14 (B) encouraged
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the class’s emotional state (“The class felt…”). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the feedback. (D) Noun.
15 (C) interesting
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the fact/event (everyone finishing early). → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (B) A fact cannot feel interested. (D) Adverb.
16 (B) interested
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the professor’s internal curiosity (“I am very…”). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (C) Describes the situation. (D) Adverb.
17 (C) overwhelming
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “volume of study materials”. The materials cause the heavy feeling. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Materials cannot feel overwhelmed. (D) Adverb.
18 (B) overwhelmed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the emotional state of the students (“many of you felt…”). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the materials/exams. (D) Adverb.
19 (C) pleasing
- Why it is correct (The Key): Modifies the noun “achievement”. The achievement brings pleasure. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) An achievement cannot feel pleased. (D) Noun.
20 (B) pleased
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the internal feeling of the students (“You should all be…”). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the situation. (D) Noun.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The “Data vs. People” Rule in Academic/Work Settings
When discussing numbers, test results, or reports, it is easy to apply the -ED / -ING rule by identifying the source of the feeling.
- -ING Adjectives (The Factual Source): Use these to describe the test results, the grades, the improvement, or the statistics. These things do not have brains; they cause the emotion.
- Example: The exam results are surprising.
- -ED Adjectives (The Human Receiver): Use these to describe the professors, the students, or the team. Humans receive the emotion.
- Example: The professor is surprised.
2 Verbs vs. Adjectives in Expressions
Be careful not to mix up the base verb with the adjective, especially when talking about states of being. You must use the “To Be” verb (or a linking verb like feel, look, seem) combined with the participle adjective.
- Incorrect: I was surprise. (Mixing “to be” with a base verb/noun).
- Correct: I was surprised.
3 Common Positive Pairs
When discussing success or good news, use these adjective pairs:
- Surprising / Surprised: The high score is surprising; I am surprised.
- Amazing / Amazed: The class average is amazing; I am amazed.
- Satisfying / Satisfied: The progress is satisfying; I am satisfied.
- Encouraging / Encouraged: The feedback is encouraging; the students feel encouraged.
- Pleasing / Pleased: The achievement is pleasing; everyone is pleased.