-Ed vs. -Ing Adjectives – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are writing a social media post about an unbelievable football match you just watched. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “The first half of the match was honestly a bit ______ because neither team scored.”
(A) bore
(B) bored
(C) boring
(D) boredom
2 “I was actually getting ______ watching them just pass the ball around slowly.”
(A) bore
(B) bored
(C) boring
(D) boredom
3 “However, the comeback in the second half was absolutely ______!”
(A) amaze
(B) amazed
(C) amazing
(D) amazement
4 “I am still ______ by that incredible last-minute goal from our captain.”
(A) amaze
(B) amazed
(C) amazing
(D) amazement
5 “Losing a 2-0 lead in just five minutes is an incredibly ______ collapse for the away team.”
(A) shock
(B) shocked
(C) shocking
(D) shockingly
6 “The opposing team’s fans looked completely ______ when the winning goal went in.”
(A) shock
(B) shocked
(C) shocking
(D) shockingly
7 “The atmosphere in the stadium during the final minutes was truly ______.”
(A) thrill
(B) thrilled
(C) thrilling
(D) thriller
8 “All the home supporters were ______ when the referee blew the final whistle.”
(A) thrill
(B) thrilled
(C) thrilling
(D) thriller
9 “I was ______ by the goalkeeper’s quick reflexes tonight.”
(A) fascinate
(B) fascinated
(C) fascinating
(D) fascination
10 “Watching him save that penalty kick was a ______ moment.”
(A) fascinate
(B) fascinated
(C) fascinating
(D) fascination
11 “Running for 90 minutes in that heavy rain must be incredibly ______.”
(A) exhaust
(B) exhausted
(C) exhausting
(D) exhaustion
12 “The players fell to the ground, looking completely ______ after the match.”
(A) exhaust
(B) exhausted
(C) exhausting
(D) exhaustion
13 “It is so ______ to see a team that never gives up, even when they are losing.”
(A) inspire
(B) inspired
(C) inspiring
(D) inspiration
14 “I felt deeply ______ by their determination and teamwork.”
(A) inspire
(B) inspired
(C) inspiring
(D) inspiration
15 “The losing coach was obviously ______ with his defense’s performance.”
(A) disappoint
(B) disappointed
(C) disappointing
(D) disappointment
16 “Giving up two late goals is a highly ______ result for them.”
(A) disappoint
(B) disappointed
(C) disappointing
(D) disappointment
17 “Overall, it was a highly ______ football match from start to finish.”
(A) entertain
(B) entertained
(C) entertaining
(D) entertainment
18 “Millions of viewers around the world were perfectly ______ tonight.”
(A) entertain
(B) entertained
(C) entertaining
(D) entertainment
19 “I am already so ______ for the championship finals next week!”
(A) excite
(B) excited
(C) exciting
(D) excitement
20 “It is going to be an ______ event that you definitely shouldn’t miss.”
(A) excite
(B) excited
(C) exciting
(D) excitement
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) boring
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “first half of the match”. The match is the cause of the boredom. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A football match cannot feel bored. (D) Noun.
2 (B) bored
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s internal state of mind (“I was actually getting…”). The speaker receives the feeling. → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Means the speaker has a dull personality. (D) Noun.
3 (C) amazing
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “comeback” (the event). The event causes the wonder. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A comeback cannot feel amazed. (D) Noun.
4 (B) amazed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s internal feeling of awe (“I am still…”). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the goal, not the person watching it. (D) Noun.
5 (C) shocking
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “collapse” (the event of losing the lead). The event causes shock. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (B) A collapse cannot feel shocked. (D) Adverb.
6 (B) shocked
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the emotional reaction of the “fans”. → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (C) Describes the match/event. (D) Adverb.
7 (C) thrilling
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “atmosphere”. The atmosphere produces the thrill. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (B) An atmosphere cannot feel thrilled. (D) Noun (movie genre).
8 (B) thrilled
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the internal emotion of the “home supporters” (the people). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (C) Describes the match. (D) Noun.
9 (B) fascinated
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s internal state of captivation (“I was…”). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the reflexes, not the speaker. (D) Noun.
10 (C) fascinating
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “moment” of saving the penalty. The moment causes the fascination. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A moment cannot feel fascinated. (D) Noun.
11 (C) exhausting
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the physical activity of “Running for 90 minutes”. The activity causes fatigue. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) An activity cannot feel exhausted. (D) Noun.
12 (B) exhausted
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the physical state of the “players”. They receive the fatigue. → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the match. (D) Noun.
13 (C) inspiring
- Why it is correct (The Key): “It is…” refers to the situation (seeing a team that never gives up). The situation provides inspiration. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A situation cannot feel inspired. (D) Noun.
14 (B) inspired
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s internal emotional reaction (“I felt deeply…”). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the team/determination. (D) Noun.
15 (B) disappointed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the internal feeling of the “losing coach”. → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the performance, not the coach. (D) Noun.
16 (C) disappointing
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “result”. The result causes the disappointment. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A result cannot feel disappointed. (D) Noun.
17 (C) entertaining
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “football match”. The match provides the entertainment. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A match cannot feel entertained. (D) Noun.
18 (B) entertained
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the receiving state of the “viewers” (the people watching). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Means the viewers were performing for someone else. (D) Noun.
19 (B) excited
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s internal anticipation (“I am already so…”). → -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the finals. (D) Noun.
20 (C) exciting
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “event” (the championship finals). The event produces the excitement. → -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) An event cannot feel excited. (D) Noun.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The “Source vs. Receiver” Rule in Sports
When talking about sports, concerts, or any performance, you must distinguish between the event itself and the people watching or participating.
- -ING Adjectives describe the SOURCE: Use these to describe the match, the goal, the result, or the atmosphere. These things produce the energy or emotion.
- Example: The football match was amazing. (The match produced wonder).
- -ED Adjectives describe the RECEIVER: Use these to describe yourself, the fans, the coach, or the players. Humans receive the emotion or physical state.
- Example: The fans were amazed. (The fans received the wonder).
2 Elevating Your Sports Vocabulary
At the B1 level, you can make your social media posts much more engaging by upgrading your basic adjectives:
- Instead of good or surprising, use amazing or fascinating for the match.
- Instead of tired, use exhausted to describe the players after 90 minutes.
- Instead of happy, use thrilled or excited to describe the fans.
- Instead of sad, use disappointed to describe the losing team.
3 The Trick with “It is…”
In English, sentences starting with “It is…” or “It was…” usually describe a situation, fact, or event. Therefore, they almost always take the -ING adjective.
- Example: It was an inspiring game. It is exhausting to play in the rain.