Are you bored or boring?
Post categories: Teacher blog
| 10:56 UK time, Friday, 15 April 2011
Today I'm going to look at a problem that affects lots of learners; the two endings -ing and -ed. Are you bored or boring? Exciting or excited? Read on and find out. And we'll be looking at some wierd, wonderful and extreme weddings.
A zombie wedding. Have you ever been to a wedding like this?
Well done Namdrol for making sentences out of the new vocab on the panto page. I'm going to look at one of your sentences.
When I try to dig something out to the child he feels exiting.
This is a really good effort, but there are two mistakes. Well done for using the phrase to dig something out (to find something that you haven't seen for a while). However, with this phrase we use 'for' not 'to'. So the phrase should read:
When I try to dig something out for the child....
Look at these examples:
I dug some old photos out for my friend.
I need to dig out her phone number for you.
Can you dig something out for me?
The second mistake is a very common one. Lots of people mix up adjectives that end in -ing and adjectives that end in -ed.
The sentence sould read:
When I try to dig something out for the child he feels excited (not exciting).
So what's the difference? Well, we use adjectives that end with -ed to talk about our own feelings, or how a situation makes us feel. We use adjectives that end with -ing to talk about a person, a thing or a situation that causes those feelings. So here, the child is excited, not exciting. The situation is exciting.
Skiing; an exciting sport
Look at these sentences:
- My girlfriend has a very annoying habit. She's always late! I get really annoyed with her.
- This book is so interesting. I'm really interested to find out how it ends.
- Lots of students are confused by English grammar. It really is so confusing!
- The trip was boring. I had no-one to talk to so I was really bored.
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½work
Complete the sentences using the correct form; either -ing or -ed.
1. My teacher is very _______. The lessons are very _______. The subject is very_______. I'm _______! (bored/boring)
2. When we went on holiday we went skiing and snowboarding. It was so _________! (excited/exciting)
3. Are you ___________ in going to the cinema sometime? (interested/interesting)
4. I can't do my accounts. The numbers are too _________. (confused/confusing) Bored teenagers... 
Weddings
The theme of this month is weddings. As part of its preparations for the royal wedding on the 29th April, the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ is looking at unusual, or 'extreme' weddings. People all over the world have been sending in photos of getting married in extraordinary situations. My favourite is the couple who got married under water on a scuba diving holiday. Other incredible ones are skiing weddings, an ice hockey wedding and even a zombie wedding (see the picture above). We'd love to hear from you about your wedding; it doesn't have to be extreme! Send us your photos to learningenglish@bbc.co.uk and we'll try to put some of them up on the blog.
Check out the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ website for some photos of extreme weddings.
Comment number 1.
At 16th Apr 2011, Tadassa wrote:Hi Cath,
Please check my homework:)
1. My teacher is very bored. The lessons are very interesting. The subject is very interesting. I'm bored! (bored/boring)
2. When we went on holiday we went skiing and snowboarding. It was so exciting! (excited/exciting)
3. interesting
4. confusing
See you,
Tadassa
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Comment number 2.
At 16th Apr 2011, Tadassa wrote:Hi again Cath,
A favour- Please explain us the Placement of Adjectives, this could be confusing when we use more than one adjective. Are there special rules?
See you,
Tadassa
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Comment number 3.
At 16th Apr 2011, Tenzin wrote:My dear teacher Cath,
It's so great to hear you again and your advice and correctiongs encouraged me in choice of my learning english.
1 My teacher is very bored .
2 The lessons are very boring.
The subject is very boring. I'm bored.
2. When we went on holiday we went skiing and snowboarding.
3 It was so exciting.
Sorry I have nothing to say about my wedding and atually I am a monk........
Thanks by Namdrol with prayers.
3. Are you interested in going to the cinema sometime?
4. I can't do my accounts. The numbers are too confusing.
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Comment number 4.
At 17th Apr 2011, beatriz wrote:Dear Cath: Could you check the following?
1) boring - boring - boring - bored.
2) exciting.
3) interested.
4) confusing.
Is it correct to use ed to express how we feel and ing to indicate how somebody or something is?
Thanks for your help and the best for you. Beatriz.
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Comment number 5.
At 17th Apr 2011, abdallah wrote:Hi Miss Cath
its my first homework with you , i have really needed , its very useful .
my answers are :
1- boring - boring - boring - bored
2- excited
3- interesting
4- confusing
i am not married yet so i can't tell you .
best regards from Kuwait
Abdallah
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Comment number 6.
At 18th Apr 2011, Varisha wrote:Hi Cath,
Well, weird wedding is an interesting topic to discuss. I didn't know people would celebrate their weddings other than their traditional way of celebrating. I did a quick search about weird wedding and I was amazed to find that people celebrate their weddings in such non-traditional ways. It will be interesting if someone can share their experiences of having such wedding. I wonder how people react to such wedding etc. Any way, my wedding was very simple and traditional. To be honest I don't even have a photograph to put it up here.
Now the answers to our home work:
1. boring, boring, boring, and bored.
2. excited
3. interesting
4. confusing
I was also wondering if you would be able to explain the use of word 'the'. Sometimes I struggle with using this word. It looks so simple but I don't know why I find it hard. Sometimes I would use this word when it's not needed and other times when it's needed I don't use it. I would really appreciate it if you go over it.
Thanks
Negee
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Comment number 7.
At 18th Apr 2011, marco wrote:Hi Cath and everybody else,
Thank You for the ssuggestions. I indicate my solutions:
1. My teacher is very boring. The lessons are very boring. The subject is veryboring. I'm bored! (bored/boring)
2. When we went on holiday we went skiing and snowboarding. It was so exciting! (excited/exciting)
3. Are you interested in going to the cinema sometime? (interested/interesting)
4. I can't do my accounts. The numbers are too confusing . (confused/confusing)
About the photo of strange wedding I'm sorry but mine was a "boring" one. I followed the italian tradition with cenrimony, dress, party and all the other aspects. I should have preferred to arrive at the curch with my motor bike but I could have losted my wife before the marriage then I had to drop my idea.
Bye, Marco from Italy
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Comment number 8.
At 19th Apr 2011, bilqees shaikh wrote:the wonderfull wedding which i enjoyed was my uncle wedding which tokk place in pakistan.certainly,it was done in traditional way but was osum indeed unforgetable.anyhow there were many occasinal berfore wedding such as mahindi and party,.luckily, i got apportunity to dance with cousins.
wedding day was enjoyable althoug just sitting at hotel and watching couple.
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Comment number 9.
At 19th Apr 2011, abdallah wrote:Corrections , I wrote some mistakes , I just realized it :
- mis Cath
2- exciting
3- interseted
thanks
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Comment number 10.
At 20th Apr 2011, Nguyen Thuy Dung wrote:Thanks for your advice, teacher. It help me to distinguish clearlier than before. My E. teacher just said we could use V-ed when talking about people and V-ing when talking about things and animals. And now I get it exactly :)
It's my answer for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½work:
1. My teacher is very boring. The lessons are very boring. The subject is very boring. I'm bored!
2. When we went on holiday we went skiing and snowboarding. It was so exciting!
3. Are you interested in going to the cinema sometime?
4. I can't do my accounts. The numbers are too confusing.
About my wedding, it hasn't happened yet. But surely it's not a wierd wedding. I like a romantic wedding. I also want my wedding to differ from other's, but not wierd. I want to be more beautiful than ever before in my wedding day!
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Comment number 11.
At 20th Apr 2011, bana wrote:1. My teacher is very bored. The lessons are very boring. The subject is very boring. I'm bored!
2. When we went on holiday we went skiding and snowboarding. It was so excited !
3. Are you interested in going to the cinema sometime?
4. I can't do my accounts. The numbers are too confusing.
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Comment number 12.
At 20th Apr 2011, Charin wrote:1. My teacher is very boring. The lessons are very boring. The subject is very boring. I'm bored!
2. When we went on holiday we went skiding and snowboarding. It was so excited !
3. Are you interested in going to the cinema sometime?
4. I can't do my accounts. The numbers are too confusing.
Is it correct ?
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Comment number 13.
At 22nd Apr 2011, rafeequekuthini wrote:hi cath ,
Thank you for your valuable advice improve my English language skill and here I answer to last home work I was assigned. could you check and pass your feed back to this.
1.My teacher is very bored. The lessons are very boring. The subject is very boring. I'm boring! (bored/boring)
2. When we went on holiday we went skiing and snowboarding. It was so exciting! (excited/exciting)
3. Are you interested in going to the cinema sometime? (interested/interesting)
4. I can't do my accounts. The numbers are too confusing. (confused/confusing)
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Comment number 14.
At 22nd Apr 2011, hind wrote:Hi cath
here my answer
1 bored;boring;boring,bored
2exciting
3interested
4confusing
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Comment number 15.
At 24th Apr 2011, Mohammad Najmul Huda wrote:Hi Teacher Cath,
I appreciate your teaching on adjective. It was really difficult to understand where to set -ed or -ing. Now I got it where where to set those. Please my answer given below:
1) bored ,boring, boring, bored
2) exciting
3) interested
4) confusing
I am waiting for your next blog with answer sheet. Thank you
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Comment number 16.
At 27th Apr 2011, willian wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 17.
At 25th May 2011, mousy wrote:Hi Cath,
here is my answer:
1: boring, boring, boring, bored
2: exciting
3: interested
4: confusing
Thanks for your correction.
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