The cat seems bored
日本語だと使い勝手の良い「つまらない」等の形容詞。「この映画、つまらない」と「つまらない。この映画をもう観たくない」、どちらも同じ単語を使いますよね。しかし、英語の場合は "This movie is boring" と "I'm bored. I don't want to see this movie anymore" とその気持ちにさせる対象を表す "boring" とその気持ちを感じる対象 "bored" と分ける必要が出てきます。母国語だと一つで十分な言葉を英語のためにわざわざイメージを二つに分けないといけないのは一筋縄ではいかないと思います…が、実は間違えてしまうと時と場合によっては大変な事になりかねません！
What happens if you make a mistake with bored and boring?
Both words are adjective forms of the base form bore, but that’s where the similarity ends. For instance, if you’re in a meeting and your colleague yawns, it would be a big mistake to say, “I think she is boring.” What you mean to say is "I think she is bored." Your colleague would be angry if you said she is a boring person.
So, what's the difference?
Adjectives ending in "-ing"describe the thing or person that causes a feeling in others.
- This book is interesting.
- She thought the view from the top floor was amazing.
The "-ed" ending, on the other hand, describes how you or someone else feels about something.
- She is interested in this book.
- He was amazed at the view.
If we make a mistake with our word choice, the person who is feeling the emotion (interested/amazed) changes. So in the first example, if your colleague is boring, then they make people around them feel bored!
In this picture, the book is interesting and the girl is interested.
One last example: if you say, "I am disgusted with this salad," you are expressing your displeasure with a poorly made salad. If you say, "I am disgusting with this salad," you are describing your unpleasant way of eating it—maybe with your mouth open and food falling out onto your shirt.
Think about some original sentences. When have you felt like this, and what made you feel that way? Here are some adjectives:
- excited
- interested
- surprised
- pleased
- annoyed
- bored
- confused
- disappointed
- exhausted
- frightened
- shocked
- tired
The good news is, even though these two forms can seem confusing, you don’t have to be confused! Just remember, “I'm bored because it's boring."
I hope this post wasn't boring, and I hope you aren't either!