Participial Adjectives in English

 In English, adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns. Participial adjectives, which are derived from verbs, play an important role in describing emotions, feelings, or characteristics. These adjectives are commonly formed by adding "-ed" or "-ing" to the base form of a verb. Although they may look similar, they have different functions and meanings. Understanding the difference between adjectives that end in "-ed" and those that end in "-ing" will help you communicate more clearly and accurately in everyday situations.

Adjectives Ending in -ED

Adjectives that end in "-ed" typically describe feelings or emotions. These adjectives reflect how someone feels about something. Since feelings are temporary and personal, these adjectives are used to describe people or animals, not objects or situations.

Here are a few examples:

• John is interested in art. (John feels a personal interest in art.)
• Denise was bored in class. (Denise felt bored during class.)
• Luke is excited about his new job. (Luke feels excited about his new job.)

Common "-ed" adjectives include:

• annoyed
• bored
• closed
• delighted
• disappointed
• excited
• frightened
• tired
• worried

These adjectives convey temporary emotional states, so you can use them to describe how someone feels at a given moment. For example:

• I’m interested in American cinema. (I feel interest in American cinema.)
• I’m excited about going on holiday. (I feel excited about going on holiday.)

In these sentences, the adjectives "-ed" describe the emotions of the speakers. These adjectives should not be used to describe things, objects, or situations, as they apply to feelings experienced by people or animals.

Adjectives Ending in -ING

On the other hand, adjectives that end in "-ing" are used to describe characteristics or qualities of things, people, or situations. These adjectives highlight what something or someone does or what it causes in others.

For example:

• John is an interesting person. (John has an interesting quality or characteristic.)
• The class was boring, so Denise fell asleep. (The class caused Denise to feel bored.)
• Luke started an exciting new job. (Luke's new job has an exciting quality.)

Common "-ing" adjectives include:

• amusing
• annoying
• boring
• disappointing
• exciting
• frightening
• interesting
• shocking
• surprising
• terrifying
• tiring
• worrying

These adjectives describe the inherent characteristics of things or events. For example:

• This is a very interesting book. (The book has an interesting characteristic.)
• Our holiday in Tanzania was exciting. (The holiday had an exciting quality.)

Comparing "-ED" and "-ING" Adjectives

To clarify the difference between "-ed" and "-ing" adjectives, consider the following examples:

• This grammar lesson is boring. (The lesson causes boredom.)
• I am bored reading all about these grammar rules. (I feel bored because of the lesson.)

Here, the adjective "boring" describes the lesson, which has the characteristic of causing boredom. In contrast, "bored" describes the feeling of the speaker who is experiencing boredom while reading.

Another example:

• I am tired right now. (The speaker feels tired.)
• My flight was tiring. (The flight caused fatigue.)

In these sentences, "tired" describes the speaker's emotion, while "tiring" describes the experience of the flight itself.

Present and Past Participles

Participles are verb forms that can also function as adjectives. When used as adjectives, present participles (ending in "-ing") describe the action or characteristic of something that causes a feeling. Past participles (ending in "-ed") describe the feeling or emotion experienced by someone or something as a result of an action.

• Present participles (ending in "-ing") describe the cause of the feeling.
  • The movie was frightening the children. (The movie caused the children to feel afraid.)
• Past participles (ending in "-ed") describe the effect of the feeling.
  • The children were frightened by the movie. (The children experienced fear because of the movie.)

In the first example, "frightening" refers to the movie's ability to cause fear, while in the second example, "frightened" describes how the children felt because of the movie.

Conclusion

Understanding the difference between adjectives ending in "-ed" and "-ing" is essential for effective communication. While "-ed" adjectives describe emotions or feelings experienced by people, "-ing" adjectives describe the characteristics or qualities of things, people, or events that cause those emotions. By mastering these participial adjectives, you can better describe both how you feel and the qualities of the world around you, enhancing your ability to communicate in English.

References

• Murphy, R. (2019). English Grammar in Use (5th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• Swan, M. (2005). Practical English Usage (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.