ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR B1

-ed and -ing Adjectives with Adverbs of Degree ESL Lesson Plan (B1, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute B1 lesson on -ed and -ing Adjectives with Adverbs of Degree, built round the theme "Films, Trips and Experiences".

CEFR B1
60 minutes
Teenagers and adults
Grammar
Adjectives and Adverbs
-ed and -ing Adjectives with Adverbs of Degree

About this lesson

Who it is for. Intermediate students who use adjectives and adverbs of manner accurately. They confuse -ed and -ing adjectives (I am boring in maths class, The film was very interested) and use very for everything, including with a bit and enough in the wrong positions.

Everything the lesson needs is on this page: the language analysis, the timed stages with the teacher's own words and instruction-checking questions, the differentiation, the printable handouts and the answer key.

At a glance

Level: CEFR B1 (Intermediate)
Learners: Teenagers and adults
Length: 60 minutes. For 45 minutes, run "Freer practice" once through without the second round and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills: Speaking
Language focus: Grammar: -ed and -ing Adjectives with Adverbs of Degree (bored / boring, quite, really, extremely)
Framework: PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials: Handout 1 (two short reviews), Handout 2 (language focus), Handout 3 (practice), Handout 4 (experience cards).
Preparation: About 10 minutes: print Handouts 1 to 4, one per learner, and read the language analysis. The answer key is for you, not the class.

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Google Docs · 60 minutes · PPP (presentation, practice, production)

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Aims

Main aim. To clarify and practise -ed adjectives (how a person feels) and -ing adjectives (what causes the feeling), with adverbs of degree (a bit, quite, fairly, very, really, extremely).

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can describe experiences and feelings accurately, e.g. The film was really boring, so I was bored. I was extremely frightened on the bus because the road was terrifying. The museum was quite interesting.

Subsidiary aim. To practise the pronunciation of -ed endings (/d/, /t/, /ɪd/).
Subsidiary aim. To develop speaking through a "find someone who" and an experience-sharing task.

Language analysis

What to know before the lesson: the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language, and the problems learners usually have with it.

Form and meaning

-ed (how a person feels)	-ing (the thing / person that causes the feeling)
I was bored.	The lesson was boring.
She's interested in history.	History is interesting.
We were tired after the walk.	The walk was tiring.
He was frightened.	The film was frightening.
I felt embarrassed.	My mistake was embarrassing.

Form and meaning: notes

Common pairs: amazed / amazing, annoyed / annoying, confused / confusing, disappointed / disappointing, excited / exciting, relaxed / relaxing, shocked / shocking, surprised / surprising, worried / worrying.
A person can be -ing: He's boring (= he makes other people bored). Careful: I'm boring means "I make others bored".

Adverbs of degree

weaker → stronger
a bit / a little → fairly → quite → very / really → extremely

Adverbs of degree: notes

a bit is mostly used with negative adjectives: a bit boring, a bit tired (not a bit amazing).
really works with all adjectives: really interesting, really amazing.
quite in British English often means "fairly, but not very": The film was quite good (= OK).

Pronunciation

-ed endings: /d/ bored, worried; /t/ relaxed, shocked; /ɪd/ interested, excited, disappointed (after /t/ or /d/).
Stress: INteresting (3 syllables: /ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/).

Concept-checking questions

I was bored. Is this about my feeling or about the lesson? (My feeling.)
The lesson was boring. Did the lesson make me bored? (Yes.)
I'm boring. Do other people feel bored with me? (Yes!) Is this what you want to say in class? (Probably not.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

Problem	Solution
I am boring (meaning bored).	Arrow diagram: thing (-ing) → person (-ed).
The film was very interested.	Ask: "Can a film feel?" (No → -ing.)
/ɪd/ added to every ending (relax-id).	Three-column pronunciation sort.
a bit with positive adjectives.	Board: a bit + negative adjective.
Overuse of very.	Scale on the board; challenge students to vary.

Board plan

Left: pairs	Centre: grammar	Right: degree and pronunciation
bored / boring · interested / interesting · tired / tiring · frightened / frightening · embarrassed / embarrassing · excited / exciting · relaxed / relaxing · disappointed / disappointing · confused / confusing
THING → -ING: The film was boring. · PERSON ← -ED: I was bored. · Can a film feel? No → -ing · not: I'm boring in class ✗ (= I'm bored) · not: very interested film ✗
a bit → fairly → quite → very / really → extremely · a bit + negative · /d/ bored · /t/ relaxed · /ɪd/ excited

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, whole class

Aim: To engage students with the topic.

Ask: "What was the last film you watched or the last trip you went on? Was it good?"

Pairs share (2 minutes). Board two sentences exactly as students say them.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To present -ed and -ing adjectives in context and clarify meaning, form and pronunciation.

Part A: Reading (6 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read the two short reviews of a trip to Horton Plains. Did they both enjoy it? Three minutes."

Pairs compare. Students answer the questions. Check as a class.

Part B: Finding the rules (6 minutes)

Give out Handout 2. Say: "Find the -ed and -ing adjectives in the reviews. Who or what do they describe? Answer the questions."

ICQs: "How many reviews?" (Two.)

Monitor and help.

Part C: Clarification (8 minutes)

Elicit answers. Draw the arrow diagram: the walk (tiring) → me (tired).

Ask the CCQs, including I'm boring.

Build the scale of degree adverbs. Highlight a bit + negative.

Pronunciation. Students sort bored, relaxed, excited, worried, shocked, disappointed into /d/, /t/, /ɪd/. Drill.

Return to the Stage 1 sentences and correct or improve them.

Controlled practice10 minutes · Individual, then pairs, then whole class

Aim: To practise the forms accurately.

Give out Handout 3. Say: "Exercise A: choose the correct adjective. Exercise B: complete with an adverb from the scale and an adjective. Seven minutes."

Pairs check. Check as a class.

Freer practice18 minutes · Groups of three, then whole class

Aim: To use the adjectives fluently to talk about experiences.

Give out Handout 4. In groups of three, students take an experience card (the first day at a new school, a long bus journey, a wedding, an exam). They talk for one minute about a real or imagined experience, using at least four adjectives and two degree adverbs: "The journey was extremely tiring and I was really bored ..." (10 minutes, rotating).

ICQs: "How long do you talk?" (One minute.) "How many adjectives?" (At least four.)

Listeners ask one follow-up question each and tick the adjectives they hear.

Report (5 minutes). Each group tells the class the most surprising experience they heard.

Monitor and note errors.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Board sentences from Stage 4 (correct and incorrect). Students correct them.

Quick fire: say "the exam" or "me after the exam"; students say an -ing or -ed adjective.

Set the homework.

Homework Write a short review (120–150 words) of a film, book, trip or event. Use at least six -ed / -ing adjectives and four different degree adverbs.

PPP (presentation, practice, production). Stage times add up to 60 minutes.

Differentiation

Support: Give weaker students the arrow diagram and the list of pairs. Let them prepare their one-minute talk in note form first.
Stretch: Stronger students use ungradable adjectives with absolutely: absolutely terrifying, absolutely exhausted. They use so / such: It was so boring that I fell asleep.

Adapting the lesson

For	What to change
A large class (40 or more)	Keep the pairwork in "Freer practice" in fixed pairs rather than a mingle, and take feedback from four or five pairs instead of the whole room. Run "Report" once, with two pairs reporting, rather than hearing every pair. Monitor one half of the room during "Controlled practice" and the other half during "Freer practice".
A class with no photocopier	Put the exercises from Handout 3: Practice on the board for learners to copy into their notebooks, and read any text aloud twice instead of printing it. Handout 4: Experience Cards (cut up) works read out from the front: learners note what they need rather than holding a card. The board plan above is this lesson's minimum - with that on the board, it runs on no paper at all.
An online class	Send Handouts 1 to 4 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for "Report" and visit each room once. Have learners type the controlled answers in the chat, so you see every answer at once instead of nominating.
A different age group	With teenagers, shorten the analysis and get to the task sooner. With adults in a work context, keep the forms exactly as they are and swap the lesson's theme for one from their own field.

Checking learning

10 out of 12 or better on Handout 3. In the talks, students use -ed for feelings and -ing for causes. Students use at least two different degree adverbs.

Teacher's reflection

Did the arrow diagram clear up the confusion? Were students' -ed endings pronounced correctly?

Handout 1: Two Reviews of Horton Plains

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Review 1, by Nisansala ★★★★★

What an amazing day! We started walking at 6 am, and I was a bit tired at first, but the views were absolutely stunning. I was really excited when we reached World's End: the drop is extremely frightening, but it's beautiful. Baker's Falls was very relaxing. I'm interested in birds, so the walk was fascinating for me.

Review 2, by Dimuthu ★★☆☆☆

Honestly, I was quite disappointed. The walk is 9 km, and it was very tiring. When we got to World's End, the view was covered by cloud! That was so disappointing. The ticket was quite expensive, and the queue at the entrance was annoying. My friends were amazed by the scenery, but I was bored by the end.

Answer the questions.

Who enjoyed the trip more? ______________________________
Why was Dimuthu disappointed at World's End? ______________________________
Why was the walk fascinating for Nisansala? ______________________________

Handout 2: Language Focus

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Find the adjectives in the reviews and complete the table.

Answer the questions.

Nisansala says I was a bit tired. Who felt tired? ______________________________
Dimuthu says the walk was very tiring. Did the walk feel tired? ______________________________
Which words make the adjectives stronger or weaker? Put them in order from weakest to strongest. ______________________________

-ed (a person's feeling)	-ing (the cause)

Handout 3: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Choose the correct adjective.

B. Complete with an adverb (a bit, quite, really, extremely) and the correct adjective.

I'm interested / interesting in Sri Lankan history.
The news was very shocked / shocking.
We were exhausted / exhausting after the match.
The instructions were really confused / confusing.
I was embarrassed / embarrassing when I forgot her name.
It was an amazed / amazing concert.
My little brother is so annoyed / annoying! He never stops talking.
Are you worried / worrying about the exam?
The film was two hours long and nothing happened. It was ______________ (bore).
I didn't sleep last night, so I'm ______________ (tire).
We won the final! I'm ______________ (excite).
The spa was ______________ (relax). I felt like a new person.

Handout 4: Experience Cards (cut up)

Use at least four: bored / boring · interested / interesting · tired / tiring · excited / exciting · frightened / frightening · disappointed / disappointing · embarrassed / embarrassing · amazed / amazing · relaxed / relaxing

Use at least two: a bit · fairly · quite · very · really · extremely


your first day at a new school or job	a long bus or train journey
a wedding or a big family party	an exam or a job interview
a film you saw recently	a holiday or trip
a time you got lost	a time you met someone famous

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2

Handout 3, Exercise A

Handout 3, Exercise B (other degree adverbs possible)

Common errors to watch for

Nisansala. · 2. Because cloud covered the view. · 3. Because she's interested in birds.
-ed: tired, excited, interested, disappointed, amazed, bored · -ing: amazing, frightening, relaxing, fascinating, tiring, disappointing, annoying (also stunning)
Nisansala (a person). · 2. No; the walk made people tired. · 3. a bit → quite → very / really → extremely / absolutely (with stunning).
interested · 2. shocking · 3. exhausted · 4. confusing · 5. embarrassed · 6. amazing · 7. annoying · 8. worried
really / extremely boring · 2. really / extremely tired (or a bit tired) · 3. really / extremely excited · 4. really / extremely relaxing

Error	Correction
I'm boring in maths class.	I'm bored in maths class.
The film was very interested.	The film was very interesting.
relaxed /rɪˈlæksɪd/	relaxed /rɪˈlækst/
It was a bit amazing.	It was really amazing.

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Written by RCF English to the RCF English international standard: levelled by the CEFR, original throughout, and suitable for classrooms in any country. Last reviewed 22 September 2026.

-ed and -ing Adjectives with Adverbs of Degree ESL Lesson Plan (B1, 60 Minutes)

About this lesson

At a glance

Download this lesson plan

Aims

Language analysis

Form and meaning

Form and meaning: notes

Adverbs of degree

Adverbs of degree: notes

Pronunciation

Concept-checking questions

Anticipated problems and solutions

Board plan

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, whole class

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Controlled practice10 minutes · Individual, then pairs, then whole class

Freer practice18 minutes · Groups of three, then whole class

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Differentiation

Adapting the lesson

Checking learning

Teacher's reflection

Handout 1: Two Reviews of Horton Plains

Handout 2: Language Focus

Handout 3: Practice

Handout 4: Experience Cards (cut up)

Answer Key

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Elsewhere in Global English

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