Feelings and character
Adjectives for emotions and personality, the difference between -ed and -ing adjectives, and the prepositions that follow words like afraid and proud.
When you need it
You need these words to say how you feel, to react to other people's news, and to describe someone: a friend, a teacher, a character in a book. They are essential in speaking exams and in school essays, where good and bad are never enough. Most of them are adjectives, and the difficult part is not the meaning but the small word that follows: afraid of, good at, angry with.
Core words
Feelings. These describe a state that can change: you are worried today, and fine tomorrow.
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| happy / sad | I'm so happy for you. | |
| angry | angry with a person, angry about a thing | She was angry with me for being late. |
| upset | unhappy and worried after something bad | He was upset about the result. |
| worried / nervous | nervous before an event, such as an exam | I'm nervous about the interview. |
| afraid / scared | afraid only after a verb, never before a noun | Are you afraid of spiders? |
| surprised | I was surprised to see him there. | |
| disappointed | when something is worse than you hoped | We were disappointed with the hotel. |
| embarrassed | /ɪmˈbærəst/, double r and double s | I felt embarrassed when I forgot her name. |
| relieved | when a worry ends | I was relieved when the plane landed. |
| lonely | sad because you are alone | She felt lonely in the new city. |
| jealous | /ˈdʒeləs/ | He gets jealous when she talks to other men. |
| proud | proud of | Tom's parents are proud of him. |
Adjectives in -ed and -ing. The -ed form describes how a person feels; the -ing form describes the thing or person that causes the feeling. The same pair exists for bored and boring, interested and interesting, tired and tiring, excited and exciting, confused and confusing. So the lecture was boring, and I was bored.
Character. These describe what a person is usually like, not how they feel at one moment. English talks about someone's personality or character: she has a strong character, he has a great personality. To soften a negative word, English speakers often use a bit or not very: he can be a bit lazy, she is not very patient. This sounds more polite than a direct he is lazy.
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| kind / friendly | Everyone at the office was very friendly. | |
| honest | /ˈɒnɪst/, the h is silent | Be honest with me. |
| reliable | you can depend on them | Anna is the most reliable person I know. |
| patient | /ˈpeɪʃnt/; opposite impatient | A good teacher is patient. |
| generous | happy to give | He was generous with his time. |
| confident | sure of your abilities | She is a confident speaker. |
| shy | nervous with people you do not know | He was shy as a child. |
| sensible | practical and reasonable | That's a sensible decision. |
| sensitive | easily hurt, or aware of others' feelings | He's very sensitive about his weight. |
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| rude | not polite | It's rude to interrupt. |
| lazy | I felt lazy on Sunday and stayed in bed. | |
| selfish | thinks only of himself or herself | It was selfish of him to take the last piece. |
| mean | British: not generous with money; American: unkind | Don't be mean to your sister. |
| bossy | always telling others what to do | My older brother was very bossy. |
| stubborn | will not change their mind | She's too stubborn to say sorry. |
Useful phrases
- be in a good / bad mood A temporary state: Don't ask him now, he's in a bad mood.
- lose your temper Suddenly become very angry: I lost my temper and shouted.
- get on well with Have a good relationship: I get on well with my flatmates.
- cheer someone up Make someone less sad: Let's take her out to cheer her up.
- be good with people He's good with children. Compare good at for skills: good at maths.
- I'm sorry to hear that. The standard reply to bad news.
- That's great news. A calm, natural reply to good news.
- It gets on my nerves. Informal, for something that irritates you: His loud music gets on my nerves.
Common mistakes
- ✗ The film was so long, I was boring.
✓ The film was so long, I was bored.
I am boring means that other people find you dull; for the feeling мені нудно / мне скучно you need the -ed form. - ✗ She is a very sympathetic person, everybody likes her.
✓ She is a very nice person. / She is very pleasant.
Ukrainian симпатична and Russian симпатичная mean nice or attractive, while English sympathetic means співчутливий / сочувствующий, ready to understand someone's problems. - ✗ He is very sensible, he cries at every film.
✓ He is very sensitive, he cries at every film.
Sensitive is чутливий / чувствительный; sensible means розсудливий / благоразумный, which is almost the opposite of crying at films. - ✗ I'm angry on him.
✓ I'm angry with him. (American English also: angry at him)
Ukrainian сердитися на нього and Russian злиться на него use на, which learners translate as on; English uses with for a person and about for a situation. - ✗ I'm afraid from dogs.
✓ I'm afraid of dogs.
Ukrainian боюся собак and Russian боюсь собак use a case with no preposition, but English always needs of after afraid, scared and proud.
Try it
- The lesson was so long that I got ___. (bore)
- Anna is very ___ of her son. He won the competition. (гордий / гордый)
- Tom is angry ___ his sister because she took his phone.
- Don't be ___ to the waiter. Say please and thank you. (грубий / грубый)
- She cries easily and gets hurt by small things. She is very ___.
- Are you interested ___ photography?