-Ed vs. -Ing Adjectives – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are reading messages in your class group chat about the upcoming beach trip. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “Hey everyone! I just booked the bus tickets. I am so ______ for our beach trip next week!”
(A) excite
(B) excited
(C) exciting
(D) excitement
2 “This is going to be the most ______ trip of the entire school year!”
(A) excite
(B) excited
(C) exciting
(D) excitement
3 “Are you guys ______ in renting a large villa near the sea instead of small hotel rooms?”
(A) interest
(B) interested
(C) interesting
(D) interestingly
4 “Having a private pool for the whole class sounds like a very ______ idea!”
(A) interest
(B) interested
(C) interesting
(D) interestingly
5 “I looked at the pictures of the island online, and the white sand beaches are ______.”
(A) fascinate
(B) fascinated
(C) fascinating
(D) fascination
6 “I am absolutely ______ by how clear and blue the ocean water looks.”
(A) fascinate
(B) fascinated
(C) fascinating
(D) fascination
7 “I was completely ______ when I saw how cheap the villa is if we split the cost.”
(A) surprise
(B) surprised
(C) surprising
(D) surprisingly
8 “It is quite ______ that we managed to get such a huge discount for a group booking.”
(A) surprise
(B) surprised
(C) surprising
(D) surprisingly
9 “After all those stressful final exams, we truly deserve a ______ weekend.”
(A) relax
(B) relaxed
(C) relaxing
(D) relaxation
10 “I just want to lie on the beach, listen to the waves, and feel totally ______.”
(A) relax
(B) relaxed
(C) relaxing
(D) relaxation
11 “I know some people might find sunbathing all day ______, but I love doing nothing.”
(A) bore
(B) bored
(C) boring
(D) boredom
12 “Don’t worry! If anyone gets ______, we have plenty of board games to play.”
(A) bore
(B) bored
(C) boring
(D) boredom
13 “The giant water park next to our villa looks absolutely ______!”
(A) amaze
(B) amazed
(C) amazing
(D) amazement
14 “I will be ______ if we actually manage to go on all the water slides in one day.”
(A) amaze
(B) amazed
(C) amazing
(D) amazement
15 “The only bad thing is the 5-hour bus ride. I hope it won’t be too ______ for everyone.”
(A) tire
(B) tired
(C) tiring
(D) tiredness
16 “Even if we are ______ from the journey, we can just sleep on the bus.”
(A) tire
(B) tired
(C) tiring
(D) tiredness
17 “The thought of trying surfing for the first time is really ______!”
(A) thrill
(B) thrilled
(C) thrilling
(D) thriller
18 “I am so ______ to finally eat some fresh local seafood with all of you.”
(A) thrill
(B) thrilled
(C) thrilling
(D) thriller
19 “It is so ______ to see our class finally taking a proper vacation together.”
(A) satisfy
(B) satisfied
(C) satisfying
(D) satisfaction
20 “I am really ______ with the amazing itinerary that our class president planned.”
(A) satisfy
(B) satisfied
(C) satisfying
(D) satisfaction
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) excited
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s internal feeling of anticipation (“I am so…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) “I am exciting” means the speaker makes other people excited (a personality trait), which is not the intended meaning. (D) Noun.
2 (C) exciting
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “trip”. The trip is the event that causes the excitement. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A trip cannot feel excited. (D) Noun.
3 (B) interested
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the group’s internal feeling of curiosity (“Are you guys…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (C) “Are you interesting?” asks if they have a fun personality, which doesn’t fit the context. (D) Adverb.
4 (C) interesting
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “idea” of renting a villa. The idea causes the interest. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (B) An idea cannot feel interested. (D) Adverb.
5 (C) fascinating
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “white sand beaches”. The beaches cause the fascination. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) Beaches cannot feel fascinated. (D) Noun.
6 (B) fascinated
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s emotional state (“I am absolutely…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the water, not the speaker. (D) Noun.
7 (B) surprised
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s emotional reaction to the cheap price. -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (C) “Surprising” describes the price, not the person. (D) Adverb.
8 (C) surprising
- Why it is correct (The Key): “It is quite…” refers to the situation (getting a huge discount). The situation is the source of the surprise. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (B) A situation cannot feel surprised. (D) Adverb.
9 (C) relaxing
- Why it is correct (The Key): Modifies the noun “weekend”. The weekend provides the relaxation. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A weekend cannot feel relaxed. (D) Noun.
10 (B) relaxed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s desired internal state (“feel totally…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the beach. (D) Noun.
11 (C) boring
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the activity of “sunbathing all day”. The activity causes the boredom. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb/Noun. (B) An activity cannot feel bored. (D) Noun.
12 (B) bored
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the emotional state of a person (“if anyone gets…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) “Gets boring” would mean the person becomes dull to be around. (D) Noun.
13 (C) amazing
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the “giant water park”. The park causes the amazement. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A park cannot feel amazed. (D) Noun.
14 (B) amazed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s potential internal feeling (“I will be…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the situation. (D) Noun.
15 (C) tiring
- Why it is correct (The Key): Refers to the “5-hour bus ride”. The ride causes the fatigue. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A bus ride cannot feel tired. (D) Noun.
16 (B) tired
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the physical state of the students (“Even if we are…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Means the students make other people tired. (D) Noun.
17 (C) thrilling
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes “the thought of trying surfing”. The thought/activity causes the thrill. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A thought cannot feel thrilled. (D) Noun (a genre of movie/book).
18 (B) thrilled
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s extreme excitement (“I am so…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the food or the event. (D) Noun.
19 (C) satisfying
- Why it is correct (The Key): “It is so…” refers to the situation (taking a proper vacation). The situation brings satisfaction. -> -ING adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (B) A situation cannot feel satisfied. (D) Noun.
20 (B) satisfied
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the speaker’s internal feeling of contentment (“I am really…”). -> -ED adjective.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Verb. (C) Describes the itinerary. (D) Noun.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The Source vs. The Receiver (The Core Rule)
When discussing events, plans, or holidays, it is vital to differentiate between the nature of the event and the emotions of the people attending it.
- -ING Adjectives (The Source / The Cause): Use these to describe the trip, the plan, the activities, or the weather. They produce or radiate the emotion.
- Example: The beach trip is exciting. (The trip radiates excitement).
- -ED Adjectives (The Receiver / The Victim): Use these to describe yourself, your friends, or the class. Humans receive the emotion.
- Example: I am excited. (I receive the excitement from the trip).
2 The Danger of Mixing Them Up
Using the wrong suffix changes the meaning of the sentence from a temporary emotion to a permanent personality trait or characteristic.
- Incorrect: I am so exciting for the trip! (This means: “I am a very entertaining person!”)
- Correct: I am so excited for the trip! (This means: “I feel thrilled about the future!”)
3 Common Positive Adjective Pairs for Holidays
To sound natural when planning a trip or spreading positive energy, memorize these specific pairs:
- Exciting / Excited: The holiday is exciting; we are excited.
- Fascinating / Fascinated: The scenery is fascinating; I am fascinated.
- Relaxing / Relaxed: The beach is relaxing; I feel relaxed.
- Amazing / Amazed: The hotel is amazing; I am amazed.
- Thrilling / Thrilled: The surfing lesson is thrilling; I am thrilled.