How's it going folks? I hope that you've had a great time welcoming 2013 and saying farewell to 2017. Have you made any new year's resolution? I wish you a happy new year! I asked one of the student about how she spent her new year's eve, and she said, ' I was boring!' I know she wanted to say, 'I was bored.' Many English learners confuse the ~ing(present participle) with ~ed(past participle) when they are used as adjectives expressing emotions as the above example mentions. Let's take a look at this common issue in detail. The present participle(~ing) is used to show who or what causes the feeling. So in the first example, I am boring, really means I make other people feel bored. May be I don't talk much or do not have any interesting topics to explore. Whatever the reason is, I see people yawning in my company. The past participle(~ed) is used to show who or what 'has' or experiences the feeling. So when we say I am bored, I am not interested in whatever is happening around me. May be I am in a boring class(The teacher causes me to be bored) or I don't have a good movie to watch at home and there's nothing interesting on t.v. This is a very common mistake that results in saying the opposite of what she/he wants to say. Memorize the difference in ~ing and ~ed structures and be careful when you use them. Read this short conversation for more understanding now; A: I heard you went on a blind date last Sunday. How did that go? |