Interested and interesting

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson you can use "interested" and "interesting" to describe feelings and the things that cause them.

The core difference

"Interested" describes a feeling inside a person. "Interesting" describes the thing that causes the feeling. Compare:

• "I am interested in history." (my feeling)
• "History is interesting." (the subject causes the feeling)
• "She is interested in the project." (her feeling)
• "The project is interesting." (the project causes the feeling)

This pattern applies to many adjective pairs: bored/boring, tired/tiring, excited/exciting, confused/confusing. The "-ed" form usually describes the person's feeling; the "-ing" form describes the cause.

Interested: the feeling

Use "interested" when talking about people's reactions:

• "I am interested in learning Spanish."
• "Are you interested in this job?"
• "She was interested in the results."
• "They are not interested in football."

"Interested" is usually followed by "in" + noun or gerund: "interested in art", "interested in travelling", "interested in the proposal". It can also be used without "in" in some contexts: "I am interested" (as a response to an offer). "Interested" can describe a person's attitude: "an interested audience", "an interested buyer".

Interesting: the cause

Use "interesting" when talking about things, topics, or experiences:

• "It is an interesting book."
• "The lecture was interesting."
• "We had an interesting discussion."
• "That is an interesting point."

"Interesting" can also describe a person who causes interest: "She is an interesting speaker." Here the person is the cause of interest, not the one feeling it. Context makes the meaning clear.

Common mistakes

• "The film was very interested." Use "interesting".
• "I am interesting in music." Use "interested".
• "The book is interested." Use "interesting".
• "She is an interesting person" when you mean she feels interest. Use "interested" or rephrase.
• "I am interesting to learn." Use "I am interested in learning."

Related pairs

The same pattern works with other adjectives:

• bored / boring: "I am bored." / "The film is boring."
• tired / tiring: "I am tired." / "The work is tiring."
• excited / exciting: "I am excited." / "The news is exciting."
• confused / confusing: "I am confused." / "The instructions are confusing."
• disappointed / disappointing: "I am disappointed." / "The result is disappointing."

Learning this pattern helps you avoid many common errors.

Practice

Choose "interested" or "interesting" for each sentence.

1. The documentary was very ___.

2. I am ___ in photography.

3. She found the article ___.

4. Are you ___ in the new course?

5. It is an ___ question.

6. He is ___ in learning guitar.

7. The meeting was ___ but long.

8. They are ___ in buying a house.

Answers: 1. interesting; 2. interested; 3. interesting; 4. interested; 5. interesting; 6. interested; 7. interesting; 8. interested.

A speaking task

Describe three things you find interesting and three things you are interested in doing. For example: "Space exploration is interesting. I am interested in taking an astronomy course." This keeps the two forms tied to real feelings and causes.