"Excited" or "Exciting": What's the Difference?

Many learners confuse words like:

• “boring” and “bored” 
• “exciting” and “excited”
• “annoying” and “annoyed”

However, there’s an easy way to remember the difference between these -ed and -ing words. Just think of the word “tired.”

“Tired” and Other -ed Words

“Tired” was probably one of the first -ed words you learned. We say “I’m tired,” not “I’m tiring,” right?

Let’s look at some more examples of -ed words.

As you can see, -ed words like “tired” and “excited” describe people or animals that feel a certain way.

“Tiring” and Other -ing Words

On the other hand, -ing words describe the cause of a feeling. For example, if you're tired, the thing that makes you feel that way is tiring. 

John quit his job as a construction worker because it was too tiring.

It’s tiring to cook and clean for ten people every day.

So both -ed and -ing words describe feelings. However:

• -ed words focus on the person who is experiencing the feeling
• -ing words focus on the cause of the feeling

This is why we say “I’m tired,” but “My job is tiring.”

Let’s look at some more examples.

⚠️ Warning

After reading the sections above, you might think that it's always OK to use -ed words for people and -ing words for things. Unfortunately, that isn't true. Look at this example:

Syd went on a date with Bryan. Bryan was boring. Syd was bored the whole night.

If you always used -ed for people and -ing for things, the second sentence would be “Bryan was bored” because Bryan is a person.

However, it doesn't matter if he is a person or thing; the important point is that Bryan is the cause of Syd's boredom. Because of that, we say that Bryan is "boring." 

So when deciding between the -ed and -ing forms of a word, don’t ask yourself if the subject of the sentence is a person or a thing. Instead, ask if it’s the cause of a feeling or if it’s the one with the feeling.

Practice Time

Remember:

• -ed words focus on the person with the feeling.  (“I’m tired.”)
• -ing words focus on the cause of the feeling. (“Work is tiring.”)

Think about why each sentence below uses the words in bold. Then, look at our explanations underneath.

1. I visited the Taj Mahal and it was amazing. I was so amazed at its architecture.

(The Taj Mahal doesn’t have feelings, so we can’t use an -ed word to describe it. The speaker has feelings, however, so they are “amazed.” And because the Taj Mahal is the cause of the speaker's feelings, it’s “amazing.”)

2. Grammar is confusing. It always makes me feel confused.

(Grammar is the cause of the speaker's confusion, so it’s “confusing.” The speaker has a difficult time understanding, so they are "confused," which is a feeling.)

3. I feel motivated after my online English lessons because my tutor is very motivating.

(This speaker is talking about how they feel after a lesson, so they are "motivated." The lessons themselves have no feelings; instead, they are the cause of the speaker's feelings, so they are "motivating.")

Wrap-up

If you want more practice with this grammar point, or if you just want to improve your spoken English, book an online lesson with an Engoo tutor. Engoo has thousands of friendly tutors from around the world who are ready to help you any time of day. Give it a try!

• grammar
• what's the difference