Wh-cleft sentences (What I need is a holiday)

Wh-cleft sentences are most often introduced by what, but we can also use why, where, how, etc.
The information in the wh-clause is typically old or understood information, while the information in
the following clause is new and in focus:

A:
I don’t know what to cook for them? I don’t know what they like.

B:
What they like is smoked salmon.

Understood already (old information): we are talking about what they like to eat

Focus (new information): they like smoked salmon

A:
This remote control isn’t working.

B:
What we need to do is get new batteries for it.

Understood already (old information): there is something that we need to do to fix the remote control.
Hard and Soft C and G
The letters c and g can make spelling tricky. Each of these letters has a hard sound

hard c sound (kuh): cat, cup

hard g sound (guh): gap, goat

as well as a soft sound.

soft c sound (suh): cell, city

soft g sound (juh): gerbil, gym

Usually, a c or g sound is hard or soft depending on the vowel that follows it. Here's the general
rule:

When c or g meets a, o, or u, its sound is hard.

cap, cave, colt, comedy, curly, cuddle

gas, gather, goblet, goddess, gum, gutter

When c or g meets e, i, or y, its sound is soft.

census, center, circle, citizen, cycle, cymbal

gel, general, giant, ginger, gypsy, gyrate

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Some adjectives have the characteristic of ending in -ed and -ing. Learn the difference
between Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING with useful rules and examples.
You can jump to any section of this lesson: [hide]
 1 Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING
o 1.1 Adjectives that End in -ING
o 1.2 Adjectives that End in -ED
o 1.3 Examples of Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING
o 1.4 Notes | Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING
 2 Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING | Picture
 3 List of Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING

Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING

Adjectives that End in -ING
In general, adjectives that end in -ing are used to describe things and situations. They have
an active meaning. They describe someone that is doing something (acting) or something that
is causing something to us, making us feel in a certain way.
Adjectives that End in -ED
Adjectives that end in -ed are used to describe how people feel. They have a passive meaning. They
describe someone ‘receiving‘ some kind of action, made to feel in a certain.
Examples of Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING
(John is working in a bank. Everyday he does exactly the same thing again and again. He doesn’t
enjoy his job and would like to do something different.)
John’s job is boring.
John is bored.
The -ing adjective tells you about something (the job) . The -ed adjective tells you
how somebody feels about something (John is bored because the job is boring).
Other examples:
My friend is bored. – (My friend feels bored)
My friend is boring. – (My friend is a boring person)
I am confused. – (I don’t understand something).
And, I am confusing. – (I will cause you to be confused)
To make it clearer, let’s have a look at the following examples:
A talking woman
A singing bird
A smiling girl
They all ‘do‘ something: the man is talking, the bird is singing, the girl is smiling. The –ing adjectives
have an activemeaning: talking, singing and smiling are used to describe an action.
Now look at these examples with adjectives ending in –ed:
A smashed window.
A satisfied customer.
A frightened child
A surprised teacher
These adjectives are used with a passive meaning. Something has been done to the object (the
window) or something/someone has caused people to be in a certain state (the child, the
customer, the teacher) or feel in a certain way.
The adjectives smashed, satisfied, frightened, surprised describe states or feelings as a result of
something done: the window has been smashed, the customer has been satisfied, the child has
been frightened, the teacher has been surprised.
Notes | Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING

 We can use adjectives ending in -ing for things or people. Remember that when we use adjectives
ending in -ing, it is describing the person or thing.
 We can use the -ed ONLY for people (or animals) because THINGS CANNOT FEEL.
Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING | Picture

List of Adjectives Ending in -ED and -ING

Amazing – Amazed
Amusing – Amused
Annoying – Annoyed
Boring – Bored
Challenging – Challenged
Charming – Charmed
Confusing – Confused
Convincing – Convinced
Depressing – Depressed
Disappointing – Disappointed
Disgusting – Disgusted
Disturbing – Disturbed
Embarrassing – Embarrassed
Entertaining – Entertained
Exciting – Excited
Exhausting – Exhausted
Depressing – Depressed
Disappointing – Disappointed
Fascinating – Fascinated
Frightening – Frightened
Frustrating – Frustrated
Inspiring – Inspired
Interesting – Interested
Pleasing – Pleased
Relaxing – Relaxed
Relieving – Relieved
Satisfying – Satisfied
Shocking – Shocked
Surprising – Surprised
Terrifying – Terrified
Threatening – Threatened
Thrilling – Thrilled
Tiring – Tired
Touching – Touched
Worrying – Worried