Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? -ed and -ing adjectives for feelings and their causes

Q: What are -ed and -ing adjectives?

They are two adjectives made from one verb of feeling : bore gives bored and boring , puzzle gives puzzled and puzzling . The -ed form says how someone feels ( Darius was puzzled. ), and the -ing form describes what causes that feeling ( The clue was puzzling. ). The B1 lesson Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? on edio.ai teaches eleven such pairs.

Q: What is the rule for -ed and -ing adjectives?

Ask who or what has the feeling. The person who feels it takes -ed : We were surprised by the pen name. The thing or person that causes it takes -ing: The pen name was surprising. A thing can't feel, so The plot was excited is wrong; it's The plot was exciting. Verbs that end in -e drop it before -ing: amaze , amazed , amazing .

Q: What are some examples of -ed and -ing adjectives?

Common pairs include bored and boring , frightened and frightening , interested and interesting , amazed and amazing , and tired and tiring . In sentences: Riley was frightened at night. Every noise in the house was frightening. Ten hours on a plane is really tiring. After the long trip, Jade felt tired.

Q: What's the difference between bored and boring?

Bored is how you feel; boring is what makes you feel it: At first, Darius was bored. He thought old books were boring. So I'm boring means other people find you dull ; to talk about your own feeling, say I'm bored or I'm bored with this book . A tip in Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? , a B1 lesson on edio.ai, makes the same point about Darius.

Q: Is it "I'm interested in" or "I'm interesting in"?

It's I'm interested in , with -ed and in : I'm interested in mysteries. Interesting describes the thing ( Mysteries are interesting ), and I'm interesting would mean that other people find you interesting. The preposition matters as well: interested on mysteries is a mistake. The chat in Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? on edio.ai offers both wrong versions next to the right reply.

Q: Which prepositions follow interested, frightened and excited?

Each has its own: interested in , frightened of , excited about . Two more from Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? , a B1 lesson on edio.ai, are bored with and fascinated by : He was bored with the movie. Riley is fascinated by Nancy Drew. She's frightened of the dark. The prepositions belong to the -ed forms, the ones that describe how a person feels.

Q: Who wrote the Nancy Drew books?

The name on the books, Carolyn Keene, is a pen name, never one real person . The Stratemeyer Syndicate had the ideas and plot outlines and hired writers who kept their work secret. Mildred Wirt Benson, a journalist from Iowa, wrote most of the early books, 23 of the first 30, and a 1980 court case named her as the first writer behind Carolyn Keene. The first book, The Secret of the Old Clock , came out on April 28, 1930.

Q: Are the Nancy Drew books in the public domain?

Only some: on January 1, 2026, the original 1930 texts of the first four books entered the US public domain, so anyone can copy and share them. The versions rewritten from 1959 to 1961 are still protected. In the 1930 text of The Secret of the Old Clock , Nancy is sixteen; in the 1959 version, she is eighteen. The reading in Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? on edio.ai explains this.

Q: How do I teach -ed and -ing adjectives to B1 students?

Start with a story that changes how someone feels , so both forms come up naturally: something is boring, then puzzling, then fascinating, and the listener moves from bored to fascinated. Ask two questions each time, How did he feel? and What was it like? In Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? on edio.ai, Darius makes that change in the dialogue before the scheme and its eleven pairs.

Q: What's a good game for practicing -ed and -ing adjectives?

Feelings charades works well: one student acts out a feeling, the class guesses it with an -ed adjective ( You're frightened! ), and the actor names the cause with -ing: The spider was frightening. The open boxes in Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? on edio.ai add prompts such as What's the most boring movie you've ever seen? Why was it boring?

This B1 ESL lesson plan teaches -ed and -ing adjectives, from bored and boring to puzzled and puzzling, with Nancy Drew, the girl detective of 1930.

Grammar: Adjectives in -ed for how a person feels (Darius was bored.) and in -ing for what causes it (Old books were boring.), in eleven pairs, plus interested in and fascinated by.
Topic: Nancy Drew's first mystery, the pen name Carolyn Keene and the public domain, with words such as clue, plot, series and pen name.
Activities: A feature story to read, a studio dialogue and a listener's message to hear, self-checking drills, a chat about a mystery book and open-box questions about feelings.

What's inside

Chapter 1Warm-up: got a clue?
- PictureUnlock
- Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
- Study the words: mysteries and booksVocabularyTry it
- Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock
Chapter 2Let's read: the case of the missing writer
- Look at the photo: an old mysteryPictureUnlock
- Read the story: the case of the missing writerArticleUnlock
- Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 3Let's listen: Darius takes the case
- Listen to Riley and DariusListeningTry it
- Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
- Listen and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
- Listen to the Listener's Take: GretchenListeningUnlock
- Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
- Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
Chapter 4Grammar: puzzled by a puzzling clue
- Study the scheme: -ed and -ing adjectivesGrammar schemeTry it
- Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: -ed or -ingFill in the gapsTry it
- Fill in the table: -ed or -ingFill in the tableUnlock
- Choose the correct answer: which sentence is right?QuizUnlock
- Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
Chapter 5Let's talk: what a page-turner!
- Choose the right replies: how did it make you feel?ChatTry it
- Open a box and answer: books, movies and feelingsOpen the boxUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
- Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: words and examplesMemory gameUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: -ed or -ingFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the table: how did you feel, and how was it?Fill in the tableUnlock
- Choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
- Choose the correct option: a reader's commentChoose the optionUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: Riley answers GretchenDrag and dropUnlock

Vocabulary

12 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

detective
clue
plot
character
series
pen name
public domain
mystery
secret

Grammar: -ed and -ing adjectives for feelings

An -ed adjective tells how someone feels, and an -ing adjective names what makes people feel that way: The clue was puzzling, so Darius was puzzled. As Darius goes from bored to fascinated, learners check who has the feeling before they choose, learn eleven pairs, spell the verbs that end in -e and add the right preposition.

Bored or boring?

-ed = how a person feels. -ing = the thing that makes people feel that way.

How you feel or what causes it

The -ed form goes with the person who has the feeling: Darius was bored. We were surprised by the pen name. The -ing form describes the cause: Old books were boring for him. Every noise in the house was frightening.

-ed: how a person feels

Darius was bored.
I'm interested in mysteries.
Riley was frightened at night.
We were surprised by the pen name.

-ing: what makes you feel it

Old books were boring for him.
Mysteries are interesting.
Every noise in the house was frightening.
The pen name was surprising.

Eleven pairs, two spellings

Each verb of feeling gives a pair: puzzle, puzzled, puzzling. Verbs ending in -e add only -d and drop the e before -ing: amaze, amazed, amazing. Frighten, interest and annoy simply add -ed and -ing.

Eleven pairs to know

Verb	-ed: the person feels	-ing: the thing causes it
puzzle	puzzled	puzzling
fascinate	fascinated	fascinating
frighten	frightened	frightening
bore	bored	boring
interest	interested	interesting
excite	excited	exciting
surprise	surprised	surprising
amaze	amazed	amazing
confuse	confused	confusing
annoy	annoyed	annoying
tire	tired	tiring

Spelling

Verbs that end in -e (puzzle, fascinate, bore, excite, surprise, amaze, confuse, tire): add only -d, and drop the e before -ing: amaze → amazed, amazing. Other verbs add -ed and -ing: frighten → frightened, frightening.

The preposition after -ed

The lesson teaches five -ed adjectives with their prepositions: interested in, frightened of, bored with, excited about and fascinated by. Learn the adjective and its preposition together: Riley is fascinated by Nancy Drew. We're excited about the trip.

Adjective + preposition	Example
interested in	I'm interested in old books.
frightened of	She's frightened of the dark.
bored with	He was bored with the movie.
excited about	We're excited about the trip.
fascinated by	Riley is fascinated by Nancy Drew.

I'm bored, not I'm boring

Darius is boring means other people feel bored with him, so your own feeling takes -ed: I'm bored. A clue can't feel anything, so it's a confusing clue. Watch for I'm interesting in mysteries and The plot was excited too.

People and things

Darius is bored = he feels bored. Darius is boring = other people feel bored with him! So say “I'm bored”, not “I'm boring”. And a clue can't feel anything: it's a confusing clue, not a confused clue.

Common mistakes

I'm boring with old books.
I'm bored with old books.
how you feel: -ed
The plot was excited.
The plot was exciting.
what causes the feeling: -ing
I'm interesting in mysteries.
I'm interested in mysteries.
interested in
I'm fascinating by Nancy Drew.
I'm fascinated by Nancy Drew.
fascinated by

In the studio

At first, Darius was bored. He thought old books were boring.
The clue was puzzling, so Darius was puzzled.
Riley has been interested in Nancy Drew since she was nine.
The pen name was surprising: Carolyn Keene was never one real person.
In the end, Darius was excited about the first book.
Footnote's noises on the microphone are annoying!

More lessons on this grammar: Adjectives and adverbs lessons and exercises

Try the ed and ing adjectives exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

What's in the lesson

18 auto-checked exercises
5 games
1 article
1 grammar scheme
1 set of word cards
2 audio clips
2 pictures
2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

say how a person feels with -ed adjectives: Darius was puzzled. We were surprised by the pen name.
name what causes the feeling with -ing adjectives: The clue was puzzling. Footnote's noises on the microphone are annoying!
add the right preposition after an -ed adjective: I'm interested in mysteries. She's frightened of the dark.
avoid the classic slips: I'm bored with old books, not I'm boring; a confusing clue, not a confused clue
talk about a book, movie or series that bored, frightened or fascinated them

Lesson 17 opens Screen and page, unit 5 of English B1.1 · Stories That Travel, the course where three friends make a podcast in Kansas City. It builds on A2.2 lesson 28, which first paired interested with in and excited with about, and lesson 18 goes on to very scary and absolutely terrifying. A detective series full of puzzling clues and frightened readers calls for both forms of each adjective.

Students spin a wheel of questions about books and detectives, then learn twelve words, from clue and plot to public domain, with pictures and audio. They read Riley's feature about the writer behind Carolyn Keene, then hear Darius lose a bet as old books stop boring him, and a message from Gretchen, a 14-year-old reader in Iowa, both AI-voiced. The grammar chapter adds five self-checking drills to the scheme, among them a table with both adjectives for eight verbs. In the speaking chapter, students answer Ximena's messages about the first Nancy Drew book, then open boxes about books, movies and feelings.

All ten homework tasks check themselves: a word match, an anagram, a gap-fill and a memory game for the words, then -ed or -ing gaps, a choice of prepositions, a table of feelings and causes, a quiz, a reader's comment with choices and Riley's reply to Gretchen with words to drag in.

Grammar:: -ed adjectives · -ing adjectives · adjective + preposition
Topic:: Nancy Drew · mystery books · detectives · pen names · public domain · Mildred Wirt Benson · Stories That Travel

Teaching tips

Mime the feelings first: one student yawns, shakes or stares in wonder, the class names the feeling (She's bored.), and someone adds a cause: The movie is boring.
Before the feature, write Carolyn Keene on the board and ask if she was a real person. After reading, students report their reaction: I was surprised by the pen name. It's a surprising story.
Track Darius's mood while the dialogue plays: students note each adjective he uses, from bored to fascinated, and then say what caused it: The clue was puzzling.
Run a one-minute Mug Bet in pairs: one student tries to make a favorite book sound exciting, and the listener answers I'm still bored or I'm fascinated!

Liked it?

Teach the whole lesson in edio

32 exercises in 6 chapters, ready to teach. edio is an online platform for language schools and teachers: ready-made interactive lessons, live classes, homework and student progress in one place.

Start a free trial
7 days, no credit card.
Open the lesson
Find it in the library of 621 ready lessons. Teach it as it is, or copy any chapter into your own lessons.
Teach it live or as homework
Students work in their own accounts, in sync with you during the lesson, and the practice exercises check themselves.

Teach it free for 7 days

The whole course: English B1.1 · Stories That Travel

32 lessons for adults at B1 in American English, each built around a true story. Riley, Jade and Darius make a podcast in Kansas City about true American stories, and each lesson tells one, from a seaplane airport in Alaska to the Marfa Lights of West Texas. Learners compare the present perfect with the past simple, use future forms, modals and quantifiers, and give their own opinions. The practice exercises check themselves.See the course

Unit 1 Travel smart
the present perfect vs the past simple, for and since, indirect questions, be used to and get used to
Unit 2 Dream jobs, new jobs
will have to and won't be allowed to, the present perfect continuous, simple vs continuous, would vs used to
Unit 3 Space and discovery
it's + adjective + to, What's it like to…?, future forms compared, future time clauses, too and enough + to
Unit 4 Life online
the more…, the more…, be supposed to, ought to and had better, let, make and allow
Unit 5 Screen and page
-ed and -ing adjectives, gradable and extreme adjectives, present tenses for a plot, articles for things in general
1. Lesson 17 · you're hereWhy do readers still love Nancy Drew?-ed and -ing adjectives for feelings
2. Lesson 18Movie night in your carGradable and extreme adjectives
3. Lesson 19Would you review a book on TV?Present tenses to tell a plot
4. Lesson 20Where are the books about girls like me?Articles for things in general and specific things
Unit 6 Green living
few and a few, little and a little, all, most, some and none, each and every, fewer and less
Unit 7 Sporting moments
could, was able to and managed to, for, during and while, present tenses for live commentary, question tags
Unit 8 Mysteries and lost worlds
both… and, either… or and neither… nor, uncountable nouns, how sure we are about the future, unless, as long as and in case

Questions about this lesson

What are -ed and -ing adjectives?

They are two adjectives made from one verb of feeling: bore gives bored and boring, puzzle gives puzzled and puzzling. The -ed form says how someone feels (Darius was puzzled.), and the -ing form describes what causes that feeling (The clue was puzzling.). The B1 lesson Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? on edio.ai teaches eleven such pairs.

What is the rule for -ed and -ing adjectives?

Ask who or what has the feeling. The person who feels it takes -ed: We were surprised by the pen name. The thing or person that causes it takes -ing: The pen name was surprising. A thing can't feel, so The plot was excited is wrong; it's The plot was exciting. Verbs that end in -e drop it before -ing: amaze, amazed, amazing.

What are some examples of -ed and -ing adjectives?

Common pairs include bored and boring, frightened and frightening, interested and interesting, amazed and amazing, and tired and tiring. In sentences: Riley was frightened at night. Every noise in the house was frightening. Ten hours on a plane is really tiring. After the long trip, Jade felt tired.

What's the difference between bored and boring?

Bored is how you feel; boring is what makes you feel it: At first, Darius was bored. He thought old books were boring. So I'm boring means other people find you dull; to talk about your own feeling, say I'm bored or I'm bored with this book. A tip in Why do readers still love Nancy Drew?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, makes the same point about Darius.

Is it "I'm interested in" or "I'm interesting in"?

It's I'm interested in, with -ed and in: I'm interested in mysteries. Interesting describes the thing (Mysteries are interesting), and I'm interesting would mean that other people find you interesting. The preposition matters as well: interested on mysteries is a mistake. The chat in Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? on edio.ai offers both wrong versions next to the right reply.

Which prepositions follow interested, frightened and excited?

Each has its own: interested in, frightened of, excited about. Two more from Why do readers still love Nancy Drew?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, are bored with and fascinated by: He was bored with the movie. Riley is fascinated by Nancy Drew. She's frightened of the dark. The prepositions belong to the -ed forms, the ones that describe how a person feels.

Who wrote the Nancy Drew books?

The name on the books, Carolyn Keene, is a pen name, never one real person. The Stratemeyer Syndicate had the ideas and plot outlines and hired writers who kept their work secret. Mildred Wirt Benson, a journalist from Iowa, wrote most of the early books, 23 of the first 30, and a 1980 court case named her as the first writer behind Carolyn Keene. The first book, The Secret of the Old Clock, came out on April 28, 1930.

Are the Nancy Drew books in the public domain?

Only some: on January 1, 2026, the original 1930 texts of the first four books entered the US public domain, so anyone can copy and share them. The versions rewritten from 1959 to 1961 are still protected. In the 1930 text of The Secret of the Old Clock, Nancy is sixteen; in the 1959 version, she is eighteen. The reading in Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? on edio.ai explains this.

How do I teach -ed and -ing adjectives to B1 students?

Start with a story that changes how someone feels, so both forms come up naturally: something is boring, then puzzling, then fascinating, and the listener moves from bored to fascinated. Ask two questions each time, How did he feel? and What was it like? In Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? on edio.ai, Darius makes that change in the dialogue before the scheme and its eleven pairs.

What's a good game for practicing -ed and -ing adjectives?

Feelings charades works well: one student acts out a feeling, the class guesses it with an -ed adjective (You're frightened!), and the actor names the cause with -ing: The spider was frightening. The open boxes in Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? on edio.ai add prompts such as What's the most boring movie you've ever seen? Why was it boring?

How do you practice -ed and -ing adjectives one-to-one?

Swap stories about books and shows: the teacher describes one that frightened or bored them, and the student asks follow-up questions, then tells one of their own: The ending was surprising. I was really surprised. For homework, the lesson Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? on edio.ai has ten self-checking tasks, among them a table where each event gets both a feeling and a cause.

Are there interactive exercises for -ed and -ing adjectives?

Yes: gap-fills and chats that mark each answer at once. This page plays three parts of the B1 lesson Why do readers still love Nancy Drew? on edio.ai with no account: Riley and Darius's dialogue in the studio, a gap-fill where each verb in brackets becomes its -ed or -ing adjective, and Ximena's chat about a mystery book. The rest of the lesson is locked.

Unlock full lesson

About this lesson

What's inside

Vocabulary

Grammar: -ed and -ing adjectives for feelings

How you feel or what causes it

Eleven pairs, two spellings

Eleven pairs to know

The preposition after -ed

I'm bored, not I'm boring

Common mistakes

In the studio

Try the ed and ing adjectives exercises

What's in the lesson

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

Teaching tips

Teach the whole lesson in edio

Start a free trial

Open the lesson

Teach it live or as homework

The whole course: English B1.1 · Stories That Travel

Unit 1 Travel smart

Unit 2 Dream jobs, new jobs

Unit 3 Space and discovery

Unit 4 Life online

Unit 5 Screen and page

Unit 6 Green living

Unit 7 Sporting moments

Unit 8 Mysteries and lost worlds

Questions about this lesson

Teach this lesson with your students