-Ed vs. -Ing Adjectives – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are telling your family about your recent hiking trip. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence in your story.
1 “Mom, Dad, let me tell you about the 15km trek this weekend. It was the most ______ experience of my life!”
(A) exhaust
(B) exhausted
(C) exhausting
(D) exhaustion
2 “By the time we finally reached the top of the mountain, I was absolutely ______.”
(A) exhaust
(B) exhausted
(C) exhausting
(D) exhaustion
3 “Climbing up that steep, rocky trail with a heavy backpack was incredibly ______.”
(A) tired
(B) tiring
(C) tire
(D) tiredness
4 “My legs felt so ______ that I actually thought I couldn’t take another step.”
(A) tired
(B) tiring
(C) tire
(D) tiredness
5 “However, I have to admit that the view from the summit was absolutely ______.”
(A) amazed
(B) amazing
(C) amaze
(D) amazement
6 “We were all completely ______ to see the beautiful sunset above the clouds.”
(A) amazed
(B) amazing
(C) amaze
(D) amazement
7 “At one point in the forest, we heard a strange, loud noise in the bushes, which was quite ______.”
(A) frightened
(B) frightening
(C) frighten
(D) fright
8 “My little sister was ______ because she thought it might be a wild bear.”
(A) terrified
(B) terrifying
(C) terrify
(D) terror
9 “Luckily, it was just a large bird flying away. We were very ______ when we realized we were safe.”
(A) relieved
(B) relieving
(C) relieve
(D) relief
10 “To be honest, the sheer size of the mountain and the length of the path were ______.”
(A) overwhelmed
(B) overwhelming
(C) overwhelm
(D) overwhelmingly
11 “I felt completely ______ by the physical challenge during the first two hours.”
(A) overwhelmed
(B) overwhelming
(C) overwhelm
(D) overwhelmingly
12 “Some parts of the path were very muddy and slippery, making the climb rather ______.”
(A) worried
(B) worrying
(C) worry
(D) worrier
13 “We were highly ______ about slipping and injuring our ankles on the wet rocks.”
(A) worried
(B) worrying
(C) worry
(D) worrier
14 “But our tour guide was incredibly helpful, and the stories he told along the way were quite ______.”
(A) entertained
(B) entertaining
(C) entertain
(D) entertainment
15 “Thanks to his funny jokes, we stayed ______ throughout the short water breaks.”
(A) entertained
(B) entertaining
(C) entertain
(D) entertainment
16 “After six hours of walking, finally seeing our campsite in the distance was such a ______ feeling.”
(A) satisfied
(B) satisfying
(C) satisfy
(D) satisfaction
17 “We were deeply ______ with the hot noodle soup we cooked over the campfire that night.”
(A) satisfied
(B) satisfying
(C) satisfy
(D) satisfaction
18 “It rained briefly on the way down, which was slightly ______, but it didn’t ruin the trip.”
(A) annoyed
(B) annoying
(C) annoy
(D) annoyance
19 “I was only a bit ______ when my expensive hiking boots got completely soaked.”
(A) annoyed
(B) annoying
(C) annoy
(D) annoyance
20 “Despite being completely ______, I am so proud that I completed the whole 15 kilometers!”
(A) exhausted
(B) exhausting
(C) exhaust
(D) exhaustion
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) exhausting
- Why it is correct (The Key): You are describing the experience (the hike). Because the hike is the cause of the fatigue, you must use the -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Exhausted is used for human feelings, but an experience cannot feel tired. (A) Verb. (D) Noun.
2 (B) exhausted
- Why it is correct (The Key): You are describing your own internal, physical state (“I was…”). Therefore, you use the -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (C) Exhausting would mean you make other people tired. (A) Verb. (D) Noun.
3 (B) tiring
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Climbing up that steep trail” is an activity. The activity causes the fatigue, so it requires an -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) An activity cannot feel tired. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
4 (A) tired
- Why it is correct (The Key): You are describing the physical feeling of your own body parts (“My legs felt…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Tiring would mean your legs make other people tired. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
5 (B) amazing
- Why it is correct (The Key): The view is the cause of the wonder. It describes a thing/characteristic -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) A view does not have a brain; it cannot feel amazed. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
6 (A) amazed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the internal feeling of the hikers (“We were all…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Amazing would mean the hikers themselves are wonderful to look at, which changes the meaning completely. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
7 (B) frightening
- Why it is correct (The Key): Modifies “which” (referring to the noise). The noise causes the fear. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) A noise cannot feel scared. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
8 (A) terrified
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the sister’s internal emotion (“My little sister was…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Terrifying means the sister is a scary monster! (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
9 (A) relieved
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the internal feeling of relief the hikers felt when they were safe. -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Relieving would describe the situation, not the people. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
10 (B) overwhelming
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes “the sheer size” and “the length of the path” (things/situations that cause a feeling). -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Inanimate concepts cannot feel overwhelmed. (C) Verb. (D) Adverb.
11 (A) overwhelmed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s emotional/physical state (“I felt…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Describes a situation/thing. (C) Verb. (D) Adverb.
12 (B) worrying
- Why it is correct (The Key): Modifies the situation (“making the climb…”). The climb causes the worry. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) A climb cannot feel worried. (C) Verb. (D) Noun (a person who worries).
13 (A) worried
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the hikers’ internal state of anxiety (“We were…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Worrying describes the rocks/situation. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
14 (B) entertaining
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes “the stories”. The stories provide the entertainment. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Stories cannot feel entertained. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
15 (A) entertained
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the receiving state of the hikers (“we stayed…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Entertaining means the hikers were performing for the guide, which is incorrect. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
16 (B) satisfying
- Why it is correct (The Key): Modifies the noun “feeling” (an experience/situation). The experience of seeing the camp causes satisfaction. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Satisfied is used for the person experiencing it, not to directly modify the word “feeling” in this context. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
17 (A) satisfied
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the internal contentment of the hikers (“We were deeply…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Used to describe the food or the meal, not the people eating it. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
18 (B) annoying
- Why it is correct (The Key): Refers to “which” (the fact that it rained). The rain causes annoyance. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) The rain cannot feel annoyed. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
19 (A) annoyed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s internal frustration (“I was a bit…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Annoying would mean the speaker was bothering someone else. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
20 (A) exhausted
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Despite being…” refers to the speaker’s physical state at the end of the journey. -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Refers to the journey. (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The Core Rule: Cause vs. Effect
In English, participles (verbs ending in -ed or -ing) are frequently used as adjectives. To choose the correct one, look at the relationship between the noun and the feeling:
- -ING Adjectives (The Cause): These describe the characteristic of a person, thing, or situation that produces a feeling.
- Example: The 15km hike was exhausting. (The hike caused the fatigue).
- -ED Adjectives (The Effect/State): These describe the internal feeling or physical state of a person (or animal) who receives the emotion.
- Example: I was completely exhausted. (I received the fatigue from the hike).
2 The “Exhausted vs. Exhausting” Distinction in Context
When telling a story about a difficult physical challenge (like trekking, running a marathon, or a hard day at work), balancing these two forms makes your storytelling dynamic:
- Use exhausting / tiring / draining to complain about the path, the weather, or the heavy backpack.
- Use exhausted / tired / overwhelmed to emphasize your body’s physical limits at the finish line.
3 Common Pitfall
Never use an -ing adjective to describe your own feelings unless you mean to describe your personality to others.
- Incorrect: I am exhausting today. (This means: I am a difficult person and I make other people tired!)
- Correct: I am exhausted today. (This means: I need to sleep!)