Interested or Interesting?

-ed or -ing?

Theory · read before you start

-ed or -ing?

Many adjectives have two forms, for example bored and boring. The ending shows who has the feeling and what causes it.

TIP

Ask yourself: who has the feeling? Use -ed. What causes the feeling? Use -ing.

Ending	Describes	Example
-ing	the thing or situation that causes the feeling	The meeting was boring.
-ed	the person who has the feeling	I was bored in the meeting.

EXAMPLES

The news was surprising.→ Anna was surprised.
This report is confusing.→ I'm confused.

Gap fill · type your answer in each gap

Complete each sentence with -ed or -ing. Use the word in brackets.

1.Our weekly meeting is always (bore).

2.I felt really (embarrass) when I forgot his name.

3.The new system is (confuse). Nobody understands it.

4.Tom was (disappoint) because he didn't get the job.

5.It was a very (interest) talk about space.

6.Night shifts are (tire). I sleep all day after them.

Correct the mistakes · type the correct word in the box

The highlighted word contains a mistake. Write the correct form.

The presentation was very bored.

↳

I'm interesting in new technology.

↳

Sara was surprising when she saw the results.

↳

This report is really confused.

↳

We were very exciting about the project.

↳

Adjective + preposition

Theory · read before you start

Adjective + preposition

Many adjectives are followed by a fixed preposition. Learn the adjective and its preposition together, as one phrase.

TIP

Angry has two partners. We are angry with a person and angry about a thing: I'm angry with Tom. I'm angry about the delay.

Adjective + preposition	Example
interested in	I'm interested in web design.
good at	She's good at explaining difficult ideas.
bored with	I'm bored with this long report.
worried about	He's worried about tomorrow's presentation.
excited about	We're excited about the new project.
scared of	Many people are scared of speaking in public.
proud of	I'm proud of my team.
famous for	Our company is famous for its customer service.
keen on	My manager is keen on starting next week.
absent from	Ben is absent from work today.

Matching · tap a word, then its pair (or drag)

Match the sentence halves. Drag each beginning to the ending that completes it.

Our company is famous

Ben is absent

I'm bored

My manager is keen

Our new colleague is interested

Tom is very good

Maria is worried

Many people are scared

in learning Python.

at explaining difficult ideas.

about tomorrow's presentation.

of speaking English in meetings.

for its friendly customer service.

from work today because he is ill.

with this long report. I need a break.

on starting the project next week.

Gap fill · type your answer in each gap

Complete each question with the correct preposition. You will ask and answer these questions in class.

1.What are you interested ?

2.Do you get excited new projects?

3.What is your country famous ?

4.What school subjects were you keen as a child?

5.What are you scared ?

6.How often are you absent work?

7.Do you get bored long meetings?

8.What are you good ?

Speaking · record your answer

Ask your partner three of the questions above and answer your partner's questions. Then tell the group one interesting thing you learned.

USEFUL PHRASES

I'm interested in ...

I get excited about ...

I'm not very good at ...

My partner is scared of ...

Choose how long you'd like to speak (about 1 min is a good length).

Pair discussion

Pair work · 10 to 15 minutes

Talk with a partner. Take turns to ask and answer. Give a full answer, then ask a follow-up question: Why? When? What about you?

1. What is the most boring part of your job? Why are you bored with it? 2. What are you good at at work? What are you proud of? 3. Are you worried about anything at work this month? Why is it worrying? 4. What was the last surprising or disappointing thing at work? How did you feel? 5. What are you interested in outside work? Why is it interesting for you? 6. Are you excited about anything this year? What is exciting about it? 7. What are you scared of? Why is it frightening? 8. What subjects were you keen on at school? What were you good at? 9. What is your city or country famous for? Is it exciting for visitors? 10. What makes you angry? Do you get angry with people or about things? 11. Tell your partner about a confusing or embarrassing moment. How did you feel?

Try to use one -ed adjective and one -ing adjective in every answer. For example: I'm bored with long reports. They are boring because nothing changes.

When you finish, tell the group one thing you and your partner have in common.

Game: make a sentence, ask a question

Theory · read before you start

How to play

You play in groups of four in breakout rooms. In each round, one player gets a pair of adjectives, for example interesting and interested.

RULE

1. Look at the round on the screen. Take turns, one player per round.

2. The player makes a sentence about themselves with ONE of the two adjectives.

3. Then the player asks the group a question with the OTHER adjective.

4. The group answers the question, one by one.

5. Correct use of both adjectives = 1 point. If there is a mistake, another player can steal the point with a correct sentence and question.

TIP

A sentence uses -ing for the thing (Long meetings are boring). A question uses -ed for the person (Do you get bored in long meetings?). Or the other way round, it is your choice.

Theory · read before you start

The cards

These are all the pairs. Use them for the rounds below and for extra rounds if you have time.

-ing (the thing)	-ed (the person)	Example
interesting	interested	New software is interesting. → Are you interested in new software?
boring	bored	Long meetings are boring. → Do you get bored in long meetings?
exciting	excited	Business trips are exciting. → Are you excited about your next trip?
tiring	tired	Night shifts are tiring. → Are you tired after work?
surprising	surprised	The price was surprising. → Were you surprised by the price?
annoying	annoyed	Loud phone calls are annoying. → Do you get annoyed at work?
confusing	confused	The new app is confusing. → Are you confused by the new app?
worrying	worried	The news is worrying. → Are you worried about the news?
shocking	shocked	The results were shocking. → Were you shocked by the results?
disappointing	disappointed	The film was disappointing. → Were you disappointed with the film?
embarrassing	embarrassed	Forgetting a name is embarrassing. → Do you feel embarrassed when you forget a name?
frightening	frightened	Public speaking is frightening. → Are you frightened of public speaking?

Speaking · record your answer

Make a sentence about yourself with interesting or interested. Then ask your group a question with the other word. Everyone answers.

USEFUL PHRASES

I think ... is interesting.

Are you interested in ...?

Choose how long you'd like to speak (about 1 min is a good length).

Speaking · record your answer

Make a sentence about your work or free time with boring or bored. Then ask your group a question with the other word. Everyone answers.

USEFUL PHRASES

I think ... is boring.

Do you get bored ...?

Choose how long you'd like to speak (about 1 min is a good length).

Speaking · record your answer

Make a sentence about the future with exciting or excited. Then ask your group a question with the other word. Everyone answers.

USEFUL PHRASES

I'm excited about ...

Is ... exciting for you?

Choose how long you'd like to speak (about 1 min is a good length).

Speaking · record your answer

Make a sentence about the news or your job with worrying or worried. Then ask your group a question with the other word. Everyone answers.

USEFUL PHRASES

I'm worried about ...

Do you find ... worrying?

Choose how long you'd like to speak (about 1 min is a good length).

Writing · write your response

Write 3 sentences about your group's answers in the game. Use the adjectives from the rounds.

For example: Anna, Tom and Sara think new software is interesting, but Ben isn't interested in it.

Phrases to use:

interesting / interested
boring / bored
exciting / excited
worrying / worried

0 words0 characters(Target: 30–80 words)

English for R&Dcourse

English for R&Dcourse

English for R&Dcourse

Interested or Interesting?