I wonder how an American pronounces…
boring … bored
/ˈbɔ-ɚ-rɪŋ/ … /ˈbɔ-ɚd/
Let’s look at the 4 ways
we use these words in a sentence.
1. verb: to bore
2. adjective: boring
(present participle of verb)
3. adjective: bored
(past participle of verb)
4. nouns: boredom … a bore
1. verb: to bore (someone)
You’re not listening to me. Am I boring you?
I sometimes even bore myself; I whine too much.
Let’s see, what bores me? Everything.
I won’t bore you with the details.
2. adjective: boring
object + to be + boring
The man thought the book was boring.
The boring book is lying on the floor.
used also with verbs: get … become
At the beginning it was good,
but after a while the book got boring.
Reading the same pages over and over became boring.
Usually, we say things or experiences are boring.
So, be careful … if you say a person
is boring, you are insulting someone.
The teacher is boring.
I’m boring.
You’re boring.
She’s boring.
We’re boring.
They’re boring.
3. adjective: bored
person + to be + bored
(+ prepositions by/with + object/person)
The man was bored (by the book), so he took a nap.
The man got bored (with the book), so he took a nap.
used also with verbs: get … grow … become
He got bored, so he took a nap.
He grew bored, so he took a nap.
Whenever he becomes bored, he takes a nap
If you are very bored, you can say…
I’m really bored.
I’m bored stiff.
I’m bored silly.
I’m bored to tears.
I’m bored to death.
I’m bored out of my mind.
I ‘m bored out of my gourd.
I’m bored out of my skull.
Every American driver will understand this joke.
“When I get real(ly) bored, I like to drive downtown and
get a great parking spot, then sit in my car
and count how many people ask me if I’m leaving.”
-Steven Wright-
4a. abstract noun: boredom
/ˈbɔ-ɚ-dəm/
“Boredom is the feeling that
everything is a waste of time;…”
–Thomas Szasz–
“The cure for boredom is curiosity.”
–Dorothy Parker-
4b. noun: a bore
(a person or situation that is boring to you)
What a bore!
He’s such a bore!
She’s a real bore!
“A bore is a man who,
when you ask him how he is, tells you.”
–Bert Leston Taylor–
“Perhaps the world’s second-worst crime is boredom.
The first is being a bore.”
–Cecil Beaton–
And now it’s your turn.
Here’s your audio pronunciation quiz.
Which word fits in each blank?
