-Ed vs. -Ing Adjectives – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are drafting an email to the IT Support team. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “Dear IT Team, I am writing to you because I am currently very ______ about the new company software.”
(A) confuse
(B) confusing
(C) confused
(D) confusion
2 “I have tried reading the attached user manual, but it is extremely ______.”
(A) confuse
(B) confusing
(C) confused
(D) confusion
3 “The instructions on page 5 are highly ______; they do not explain where to click.”
(A) frustrate
(B) frustrating
(C) frustrated
(D) frustration
4 “After spending two hours trying to log in, I am feeling quite ______.”
(A) frustrate
(B) frustrating
(C) frustrated
(D) frustration
5 “The amount of technical vocabulary used in the document is ______ for a beginner.”
(A) overwhelm
(B) overwhelming
(C) overwhelmed
(D) overwhelmingly
6 “Several members of my team are also completely ______ by the new interface.”
(A) overwhelm
(B) overwhelming
(C) overwhelmed
(D) overwhelmingly
7 “There is a flowchart in Chapter 2 that is really ______ to look at.”
(A) puzzle
(B) puzzling
(C) puzzled
(D) puzzlement
8 “We are all quite ______ as to why the old, simple system was replaced.”
(A) puzzle
(B) puzzling
(C) puzzled
(D) puzzlement
9 “Furthermore, the constant error pop-ups on the screen are incredibly ______.”
(A) annoy
(B) annoying
(C) annoyed
(D) annoyance
10 “I am getting ______ because the program crashes every time I try to save a file.”
(A) annoy
(B) annoying
(C) annoyed
(D) annoyance
11 “Reading this 50-page technical guide on a Friday afternoon is absolutely ______.”
(A) exhaust
(B) exhausting
(C) exhausted
(D) exhaustion
12 “By the time I reached the final chapter, my eyes hurt and I was ______.”
(A) exhaust
(B) exhausting
(C) exhausted
(D) exhaustion
13 “The features of the new software seem very ______, but we just do not know how to use them.”
(A) interest
(B) interesting
(C) interested
(D) interestingly
14 “We are ______ in learning how to use the database properly, but we need guidance.”
(A) interest
(B) interesting
(C) interested
(D) interestingly
15 “It is quite ______ that there are no video tutorials available for this update.”
(A) disappoint
(B) disappointing
(C) disappointed
(D) disappointment
16 “The whole sales department is ______ that the transition has been so difficult.”
(A) disappoint
(B) disappointing
(C) disappointed
(D) disappointment
17 “The plain text format of the manual makes it very ______ to read.”
(A) bore
(B) boring
(C) bored
(D) boredom
18 “I quickly became ______ while trying to read the long paragraphs about data security.”
(A) bore
(B) boring
(C) bored
(D) boredom
19 “It is honestly ______ how complicated a simple email application can be.”
(A) shock
(B) shocking
(C) shocked
(D) shockingly
20 “I would not be ______ if other departments start complaining about this soon.”
(A) surprise
(B) surprising
(C) surprised
(D) surprisingly
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) confused
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s internal state of mind (“I am currently very…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Confusing would mean the speaker is making other people confused. (D) Noun.
2 (B) confusing
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “user manual”. The manual is the source that causes the confusion. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) A manual does not have a brain; it cannot feel confused. (D) Noun.
3 (B) frustrating
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes “the instructions”. The instructions cause the frustration. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Instructions cannot feel frustrated. (D) Noun.
4 (C) frustrated
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s emotional reaction (“I am feeling…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Describes a situation/thing. (D) Noun.
5 (B) overwhelming
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “amount of technical vocabulary”. This is the source of the heavy feeling. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Vocabulary cannot feel overwhelmed. (D) Adverb.
6 (C) overwhelmed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the mental state of the “members of my team”. They receive the feeling. -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Describes the software/interface. (D) Adverb.
7 (B) puzzling
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “flowchart”. The flowchart causes people to be puzzled. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) A flowchart cannot feel puzzled. (D) Noun.
8 (C) puzzled
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the team’s internal state of confusion (“We are all quite…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Describes the situation, not the people. (D) Noun.
9 (B) annoying
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “error pop-ups”. The pop-ups are the source of the irritation. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Pop-ups cannot feel annoyed. (D) Noun.
10 (C) annoyed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s feeling (“I am getting…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Annoying means the speaker is bothering other people. (D) Noun.
11 (B) exhausting
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the activity of “reading this 50-page technical guide”. The activity causes fatigue. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) An activity cannot feel exhausted. (D) Noun.
12 (C) exhausted
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s physical/mental state (“I was…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Describes the guide or the reading activity. (D) Noun.
13 (B) interesting
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “features of the new software”. The features cause the interest. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (C) Features cannot feel interested. (D) Adverb.
14 (C) interested
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the team’s internal curiosity (“We are…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (B) Describes the software. (D) Adverb.
15 (B) disappointing
- Why it is correct (The Key): “It is…” refers to the situation (the lack of video tutorials). The situation causes disappointment. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Used for human feelings. (D) Noun.
16 (C) disappointed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the feeling of the “sales department” (the people). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Describes the transition/situation. (D) Noun.
17 (B) boring
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes “the plain text format”. The format causes the boredom. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) A text format cannot feel bored. (D) Noun.
18 (C) bored
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s internal state (“I quickly became…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Boring would mean the speaker lacks a good personality. (D) Noun.
19 (B) shocking
- Why it is correct (The Key): “It is…” refers to the fact/situation (how complicated the app is). -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (C) Used for human feelings. (D) Adverb.
20 (C) surprised
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s potential reaction (“I would not be…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (B) Describes the situation. (D) Adverb.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The “Source vs. Receiver” Rule
At the B1 level, you must distinguish between the cause of an emotion and the person experiencing the emotion.
- -ING Adjectives describe the CAUSE (The Source): They tell us about the characteristic of a thing, situation, or person that produces a feeling in someone else.
- Example: The manual is confusing. (The manual creates confusion).
- -ED Adjectives describe the FEELING (The Receiver): They tell us how a person (or an animal) feels internally. They receive the emotion.
- Example: I am confused. (I receive the confusion from the manual).
2 The Danger of Mixing Them Up in the Workplace
Using the wrong suffix can completely change your professional message and lead to embarrassing misunderstandings:
- Incorrect: “I am confusing.” (This tells the IT department: “I am a person who doesn’t make sense, I confuse people.”)
- Correct: “I am confused.” (This tells the IT department: “I need your help to understand this.”)
3 Common Office Vocabulary Pairs
When writing emails to complain, report issues, or ask for help, these adjective pairs are extremely common:
- Confusing / Confused: The instructions are confusing; the user is confused.
- Frustrating / Frustrated: The software bug is frustrating; the employee is frustrated.
- Overwhelming / Overwhelmed: The workload is overwhelming; the team is overwhelmed.
- Puzzling / Puzzled: The error code is puzzling; the technician is puzzled.