Adjectives with -ed and -ing
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
ESL Lesson Plan Adjectives with -ed and -ing B1 tackles one of the most common grammar mistakes English learners make — confusing -ED and -ING adjectives. Through a travel theme, students explore the difference between describing a feeling and describing what causes it, using eight high-frequency adjective pairs in a variety of engaging activities. From a lead-in discussion to picture description and Would You Rather speaking tasks, this lesson keeps students talking, thinking, and using the target language naturally throughout.
📄B1 ⏱️50 min 📁24 slides
Skills and Outcomes
Understand and apply the difference between -ED and -ING adjectives correctly.
Use eight target adjective pairs confidently: bored/boring, tired/tiring, exhausted/exhausting, amazed/amazing, terrified/terrifying, interested/interesting, annoyed/annoying, surprised/surprising.
Develop reading skills through two short travel stories with gap-fill tasks.
Build speaking fluency through discussion, Would You Rather, and picture description activities.
Vocabulary
bored
boring
tired
tiring
exhausted
exhausting
amazed
amazing
terrified
terrifying
interested
interesting
annoyed
annoying
surprised
surprising
Lesson Plan
Lead-in: How Does It Make You Feel?
Students discuss six everyday situations and share how each one makes them feel — naturally activating -ED adjective use before the grammar is introduced.
Grammar Introduction: What Is an Adjective?
Clear explanation of -ed vs. -ing endings with contextual examples.
Adjective Word List
Students study eight -ED/-ING pairs, presented side by side with the endings highlighted.
What's the Difference?
A visual explanation of the rule using "She is bored / The film is boring" with photos and a cause-and-effect arrow.
Practice
Choose the Correct Adjective Five picture-based sentences where students choose between the -ED and -ING form — one pair per slide.
Reading
Two Travel Stories Students look at two destination photos, guess the countries, then read two short first-person stories — Annie's Big Surprise (Phuket, Thailand) and The Longest Flight of My Life (South Africa) — and complete gap-fill tasks.
Speaking: Would You Rather
Five slides of Would You Rather questions using target adjectives — students choose and explain their answers.
Speaking: Describing Pictures
Four photos from around the world. Students talk for one minute per picture, using the guiding questions and at least two target adjectives.
Additional Video
A short review video linking back to the core rule — ideal for students who want extra consolidation at home.
Additional Video