Job Discussion Forums

[Girl Scout]

I need some suggestions. My students are using boring when them mean to say bored.

(ex) I am so boring.

I have tried to explain the underlying meaning. I have given them the grammatical explanation. I have given a number of examples. I need a more subtle approach to this mistake.

They are college students, which I know does not say much for their abilities. This problem is persistent at all level.

P.S. Don't bore me with technical jargon. Been there, done that. It didn't work.

[tw]

I am bored because there is nothing to do.

I am a very boring person -- I don't like doing anything.

[The Voice Of Reason]

I'm bored = I'm not doing anything interesting / I have nothing interesting to do
I'm boring = I'm not an interesting person

Draw two people, A + B, watching snooker (or another sport) on TV
Write: A doesn't like snooker. A is bored. A thinks snooker is boring.
Write: B likes snooker. B isn't bored. B thinks snooker is interesting.

Tell the class about two new teachers, C + D:
C is interested only in collecting toothpicks and talks non-stop about his/her toothpick collection, and even the good students fall asleep in his/her class. D has traveled around the world and has done a variety of different kinds of jobs, and when he/she talks all the students pay close attention.Teacher C is boring. Teacher C's students are bored. Teacher D is interesting. Teacher D's students are interested.

The next time a student says "I'm boring" look surprised and ask them if they like toothpicks. Hopefully this’ll prompt self-correction.

[AussieGuyInChina]

With Chinese students, it's not just bored / boring. They confuse almost every adjective; interested / interesting, excited / exciting, et al.

Tell them, and continually remind them, to use "ed" when talking about themselves, and "ing" when talking about other people / places / activities.

[sheeba]

This is from Headway Pronunciation Intermediate -

'It is easy to confuse -ed and -ing adjectives. When we talk about THINGS, we usually use an -ing adjective.
However, when we talk about PEOPLE we can often use BOTH types of adjective, but the MEANING IS DIFFERENT.


a) Your granny's disgusted .
b)your sister's disgusting ( a real minger)

in a the meaning is DISGUST Granny
Granny feels disgust.

in b the meaning is Sister Disgust
Your sister causes disgust.


Perhaps too technical but there you go . I think it's quite simple to understand and my students would get it . In fact I'm gonna try the exercises that go with this in headway next week .
I could give you the exercises that go with this from headway if you want . Just tell me .

[Steppenwolf]

[latefordinner]

That's pretty much been my approach as well, Stepp. It has worked well for me. Mind you, I tend to sneek up behind students and "BOO!" frighten them (frightening/frightened) and otherwise demonstrate the grammar as much as possible.

[Shakhbut]

I taught this the other week. My approach has always been that -ed is internal and -ing is external.
Examples:
I'm excited because the football match is exciting.
I'm bored because this lesson is boring.
My girlfriend is disgusting so I am disgusted (or not ).

[andrew_gz]

Thanks all!

[Henry_Cowell]

[erinyes]

This is a whole lessons worth, it's not only bored/ing it's excited/ing and shocked/ing....

use many examples, make a dialogue, ask the stdents to read and remember the dialogue, then get them to make their own, concentrating on ed/ing.

It is, that is they are ...ing (this is OTHER THAN SELF, another THING or another person)

I am, I feel ...ed (this is the feeling...the emotion, usually inside self)

The confusing part will be:
He is boring (doing something to make me feel bored) or
He is bored (I can tell that he isn't interested)...

[Girl Scout]

Thanks all. I will try a number of different suggestions. I also have this problem with other adj., but some how it is bored/boring that convinced me they need some help.

One of the things that confuses me about this mistake is that my writing student do not write in this way, yet the same students will turn around and in an oral class and use these words incorrectly.

[latefordinner]

nice touch, HenryC, and worth following up on. Who is doing what to whom?

On a related note, not long ago I had a student tell me that he likes to cook himself on the weekends. Hardly any burns at all, and it was only Monday morning.

[Gregor]

[erinyes]