Look at the picture above. Do we say “The journey was tired” or “The journey was tiring”? Let’s find out.
Like bored/boring and interested/interesting, the -ed adjective describes a feeling, and the -ing adjective describes a situation, event, person or thing that causes you to have that feeling.
tired
Here are some examples of tired:
- After 10 hours in the office, Joe was feeling very tired.
- After running 5km, his legs were tired.
- A good massage will relax your tired muscles..
tiring
If something is tiring, it makes you feel tired. Here are some examples:
- It’s been a very tiring day.
- Looking after children can be extremely tiring.
- She can be a bit tiring at times.
Is it clear now? The journey in the picture above is tiring.
Helpful tip
When you listen to native or fluent speakers, try to notice how they use tired/tiring and also similar pairs of adjectives like bored/boring and interested/interesting.
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