Teacher Discussion Forums

Hello,
Is the word "fatiguing" an adjective, adverb, or verb in the following sentences?
1. My job is fatiguing.
2. I have a fatiguing job.

It's an adjective. In the second example, it's an attributive adjective in a noun phrase, "a fatiguing job". In the first example, it's a predicative adjective.

Many predicative (I prefer predicate) adjectives are in the form of verb participles. Part of speech classifications are related to meaning. Verbs represent dynamic and stative processes. Adverbs are properties of verbs and adjectives are properties of nouns. Substitutions sometimes make the distinction clearer.

Verbs: "My job is ending. My job is improving. My boss is sleeping."
Adjectives: "My job is difficult / painful / tiring / exhausting."

Not really adding much to what Ouyang's written, but perhaps consider also (in relation to predicate adjectives versus verb participles) the difference between My job is tiring (=adj) and My job is tiring me (=verb, transitive), though the latter is a lot less natural a phrasing (i.e. has one word too many - the all-too-obvious 'me') than the former.

Hello,
I want to thank both of you for you helpful and detailed answers.