ed / ing adjectives - ESL worksheet by pirchy - Free Printable

Let's solve this worksheet on "ed / ing Adjectives" step by step. The key concept here is understanding the difference between -ed and -ing adjectives:

- -ed adjectives describe how a person feels (e.g., *interested*, *excited*, *tired*).
- -ing adjectives describe the cause of the feeling (e.g., *interesting*, *exciting*, *tiring*).

We'll fill in each blank using the correct form of the word in parentheses, choosing either -ed or -ing, based on what it modifies.

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1. The lawyer’s arguments were so ________ that we were ________ of the man’s innocence. (convince)

- "Arguments" are the cause → convincing
- "We were..." describes our feeling → convinced

✔ convincing, convinced

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2. The statistics on road accidents are quite ________. I’m sure many people are ________ at the enormity of the problem. (shock)

- Statistics are the cause → shocking
- People feel something → shocked

✔ shocking, shocked

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3. Seeing hot-air balloons floating over the desert is an ________ sight. You’d be ________ at the number of people who participate in this sport. (amaze)

- "Sight" is the thing → amazing
- "You’d be..." → your reaction → amazed

✔ amazing, amazed

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4. The climb up the mountain was so ________ that many of the students, who were feeling ________ by then, asked if they could stop and rest. (tire)

- "Climb" is the cause → tiring
- Students felt tired → tired

✔ tiring, tired

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5. Letting children stay out late is a ________ problem. By midnight, many parents already feel a little ________. (worry)

- "Problem" is caused by the action → worrying
- Parents feel anxious → worried

✔ worrying, worried

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6. Many foreigners find the Middle East situation ________. The conflicting news reports leave people ________ as to what the truth really is. (confuse)

- Situation causes confusion → confusing
- People are confused → confused

✔ confusing, confused

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7. Some say that Hitchcock’s film *The Birds* was ________. Personally, I was more ________ by *Psycho*. (terrify)

- Film causes fear → terrifying
- I felt fear → terrified

✔ terrifying, terrified

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8. Helen was ________ by her birthday gift. What an ________ idea, buying her a ticket to Paris. (excite)

- Helen felt excited → excited
- The idea is exciting → exciting

✔ excited, exciting

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9. Susan doesn’t think slapstick comedy is ________. She is more ________ by satire. (amuse)

- Comedy isn't fun for her → amusing
- She feels amused by satire → amused

✔ amusing, amused

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10. Personally, I’m not ________ in stamp-collecting, although I’m sure it’s an ________ hobby. (interest)

- "I’m not..." → my feeling → interested
- Hobby is interesting → interesting

✔ interested, interesting

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11. The dirt and litter on our city streets is ________. Many residents are ________ by the huge amounts of garbage, especially in the market area. (disgust)

- Dirt/litter causes disgust → disgusting
- Residents feel disgusted → disgusted

✔ disgusting, disgusted

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12. I’m so ________ with the test results. It’s ________ to know you have succeeded in such a difficult course. (please)

- I feel happy → pleased
- Success is satisfying → pleasing

✔ pleased, pleasing

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13. Robert’s disappearance is ________. Most of his neighbors were ________ to read about it in the papers. (astonish)

- Disappearance is surprising → astonishing
- Neighbors felt surprised → astonished

✔ astonishing, astonished

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14. I was ________ when I saw my test results. It’s ________ to study so hard and to get a low grade. (frustrate)

- I felt frustrated → frustrated
- Studying hard and failing is frustrating → frustrating

✔ frustrated, frustrating

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15. Many Americans were ________ by the president’s speech, which was ________ both for its grasp of the problems facing the country today, and for its passionate optimism. (*impress)

- Americans felt impressed → impressed
- Speech was impressive → impressive

✔ impressed, impressive

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16. I’m ________ with this exercise! (finish)

- This one is tricky. "Finish" → finished (because you’ve completed it)
- But note: "finish" is not typically used as an adjective like others. However, "finished" is correct here to mean “completed”.

✔ finished

> Note: While "finishing" would be the -ing form, it doesn't make sense here. We don't say “I’m finishing with this exercise” in this context. Instead, “I’m finished” means the task is complete.

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✔ Final Answers:

1. convincing, convinced
2. shocking, shocked
3. amazing, amazed
4. tiring, tired
5. worrying, worried
6. confusing, confused
7. terrifying, terrified
8. excited, exciting
9. amusing, amused
10. interested, interesting
11. disgusting, disgusted
12. pleased, pleasing
13. astonishing, astonished
14. frustrated, frustrating
15. impressed, impressive
16. finished

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🔍 Summary Tip:

- Use -ing adjectives to describe things that cause feelings.
- Use -ed adjectives to describe how people feel.

This pattern applies to most emotion-related words:
→ *boring / bored*, *surprising / surprised*, *frightening / frightened*, etc.

Let me know if you'd like a printable version or explanation in another language!