-Ed vs. -Ing Adjectives – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are talking to your roommate about a horror movie you saw last night. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “You have to listen to me! I watched ‘The Dark Woods’ last night, and it was absolutely ______.”
(A) terrify
(B) terrified
(C) terrifying
(D) terror
2 “I am not joking; I was so ______ that I had to cover my eyes with my jacket.”
(A) terrified
(B) terrifying
(C) terrify
(D) terror
3 “The way the monster moved in the shadows was incredibly ______.”
(A) frighten
(B) frightening
(C) frightened
(D) fright
4 “When it suddenly jumped out of the closet, I was completely ______.”
(A) shock
(B) shocking
(C) shocked
(D) shockingly
5 “To be honest, the first twenty minutes of the movie were a bit ______.”
(A) bore
(B) bored
(C) boring
(D) boredom
6 “I was actually getting ______ because nothing scary was happening at all.”
(A) bore
(B) bored
(C) boring
(D) boredom
7 “But then, the major plot twist in the middle of the story was really ______.”
(A) surprise
(B) surprised
(C) surprising
(D) surprisingly
8 “I was completely ______ by how quickly the main characters turned against each other.”
(A) surprise
(B) surprised
(C) surprising
(D) surprisingly
9 “There was one scene with a lot of blood that was extremely ______ to watch.”
(A) disgust
(B) disgusted
(C) disgusting
(D) disgustingly
10 “I have a weak stomach, so I felt deeply ______ during the entire basement scene.”
(A) disgust
(B) disgusted
(C) disgusting
(D) disgustingly
11 “The creepy sound effects and the dark music were highly ______.”
(A) disturb
(B) disturbed
(C) disturbing
(D) disturbance
12 “I felt so ______ when I heard those ghostly whispers coming from the speakers.”
(A) disturb
(B) disturbed
(C) disturbing
(D) disturbance
13 “You know I love horror films, but the tension in this one was just too ______.”
(A) overwhelm
(B) overwhelmed
(C) overwhelming
(D) overwhelmingly
14 “By the time the movie reached the climax, my brain felt completely ______.”
(A) overwhelm
(B) overwhelmed
(C) overwhelming
(D) overwhelmingly
15 “Some of the decisions the victims made were really ______.”
(A) confuse
(B) confused
(C) confusing
(D) confusion
16 “I was so ______! Why would anyone run upstairs instead of running out the front door?”
(A) confuse
(B) confused
(C) confusing
(D) confusion
17 “However, the final ending of the movie was a little bit ______.”
(A) disappoint
(B) disappointed
(C) disappointing
(D) disappointment
18 “I was ______ that they didn’t explain where the monster originally came from.”
(A) disappoint
(B) disappointed
(C) disappointing
(D) disappointment
19 “Still, if you want a ______ experience for your Friday night, you should watch it.”
(A) thrill
(B) thrilled
(C) thrilling
(D) thriller
20 “Just don’t blame me if you feel too ______ to turn off the lights tonight!”
(A) frighten
(B) frightened
(C) frightening
(D) fright
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) terrifying
- Why it is correct (The Key): You are describing the movie (“it”). The movie is the cause/source of the fear. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Terrified describes a person’s feeling, but a movie cannot feel scared. (D) Noun.
2 (A) terrified
- Why it is correct (The Key): You are describing your own internal emotion (“I was…”). You received the fear. -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Terrifying would mean you are a scary monster! (C) Verb. (D) Noun.
3 (B) frightening
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes “the way the monster moved” (an action/thing that causes fear). -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) An action cannot feel afraid. (D) Noun.
4 (C) shocked
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s emotional reaction (“I was…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (B) Shocking describes the jump scare itself, not the victim. (D) Adverb.
5 (C) boring
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes “the first twenty minutes” of the film. The film causes the boredom. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A movie cannot feel bored. (D) Noun.
6 (B) bored
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s internal state of mind (“I was getting…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Boring means you have a dull personality. (D) Noun.
7 (C) surprising
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “plot twist” (the event that caused the surprise). -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A plot twist cannot feel surprised. (D) Adverb.
8 (B) surprised
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s emotional reaction. -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (C) Describes the situation, not the person experiencing it. (D) Adverb.
9 (C) disgusting
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “scene with a lot of blood” (the source of the disgust). -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (B) A scene cannot feel disgusted. (D) Adverb.
10 (B) disgusted
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s internal physical/emotional reaction (“I felt…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (C) Disgusting would mean the speaker is gross to look at. (D) Adverb.
11 (C) disturbing
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “sound effects and music” (the source of the bad feeling). -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Sound effects do not have a brain to feel disturbed. (D) Noun.
12 (B) disturbed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s psychological state (“I felt…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the sounds, not the listener. (D) Noun.
13 (C) overwhelming
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “tension” in the film. The tension causes the heavy feeling. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Tension cannot feel overwhelmed. (D) Adverb.
14 (B) overwhelmed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the state of the speaker’s brain (“my brain felt…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the movie, not the brain receiving the feeling. (D) Adverb.
15 (C) confusing
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “decisions” made by the actors. The decisions cause confusion. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Decisions cannot feel confused. (D) Noun.
16 (B) confused
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s internal state of confusion (“I was so…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the movie plot. (D) Noun.
17 (C) disappointing
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “ending of the movie”. The ending causes the disappointment. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A movie ending cannot feel disappointed. (D) Noun.
18 (B) disappointed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s emotional reaction (“I was…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the movie, not the viewer. (D) Noun.
19 (C) thrilling
- Why it is correct (The Key): Modifies the noun “experience”. The experience causes the thrill. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (B) An experience cannot feel thrilled. (D) Noun (genre of movie).
20 (B) frightened
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the roommate’s potential future emotion (“if you feel…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Frightening describes the dark room or the movie, not the person feeling the fear. (D) Noun.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The Source vs. The Victim (The Core Rule)
When talking about emotions (especially fear, boredom, or excitement), you must distinguish between the thing causing the feeling and the person experiencing the feeling.
- -ING Adjectives (The Source): Use these to describe the monster, the movie, the dark room, or the loud noises. They cause the emotion.
- Example: The monster is terrifying.
- -ED Adjectives (The Victim): Use these to describe yourself, your roommate, or the characters in the movie. They receive the emotion.
- Example: I am terrified.
2 Common Horror Movie Vocabulary Pairs
To talk about scary movies effectively, memorize these pairs:
- Terrifying / Terrified: The ghost is terrifying; I am terrified.
- Frightening / Frightened: The jump scare is frightening; I am frightened.
- Shocking / Shocked: The plot twist is shocking; I am shocked.
- Disgusting / Disgusted: The blood is disgusting; I am disgusted.
- Disturbing / Disturbed: The creepy music is disturbing; I feel disturbed.
3 The Ultimate B1 Trap
Never use an -ING adjective to describe your own feelings.
- Incorrect: I am so terrifying right now! (This means: “I am a scary monster, run away from me!”)
- Correct: I am so terrified right now! (This means: “I am scared, please help me!”)