Confusing Words in English.
What is the difference between boring and bored?
There are some similar words that English students often find confusing. Boring and bored are two of the most common words English students get confused.
Both words are adjectives, but they are used in different ways.
Boring (adjective) – Not interesting or exciting.
Boring is used to describe the situation, state or event.
Examples:
The party was boring.
Politics is boring.
Everybody likes Game of Thrones but I find it boring.
Bored (adjective) – Feeling unhappy or impatient because you have nothing to do or because the activity you are doing is not interesting.
Bored is used to describe the feeling.
I was very bored at the party.
I always get bored when people talk about politics.
My friends really enjoyed watching Game of Thrones last night at my house, but I bored.
Other examples:
The verb to bore.
Bore (verb) – To talk or act in a way that makes someone lose interest. To fail to interest someone by being dull, repetitive, or tedious.
Examples:
The movie bored us.
My boss really bores me when we go out on a business lunch. He never has anything interesting to say.
Politics bores me.
We don’t like holidaying in the countryside, it bores us.
Idioms
To be bored stiff.
To be bored out of your brains.
To be bored to tears.
To be bored stupid.
To be bored silly.
All the above idioms have the same meaning – To be very bored.
I was bored stiff in the meeting.
He was bored out of his brains on the flight.
We were bored to tears at the party.
She was bored stupid waiting for her friend to get ready to go out.
They were bored silly by the play.
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