relaxed and relaxing

I came across the sentence "The atmosphere is cordial and relaxed." in the English study material software.

I wonder whether the "relaxed" should be "relaxing" because the subject of the sentence is "the atmosphere" not a person.

Am I right or the original sentence is correct?

No.6 回答者： miknnik 回答日時： 2013/08/08 15:28

Just one more thing...

We can also use these two adjectives in the following sentences:

He spoke to us in a relaxed manner.

He spoke to us in a relaxing manner.

In most instances, we probably use the first one, which means the speaker talked in a casual manner, no pretense, no tension, etc., but the second is also possible. It just means his manner/attitude had a calming effect on the others.

この回答へのお礼

Thank you very much for the additional information.

お礼日時：2013/08/09 12:52

No.5 回答者： wind-sky-wind 回答日時： 2013/08/08 15:07

The answer #2 reminds me of transferred adjectives.

"Sad hours," for example, means not "hours which are sad,"
but "hours people feeling sad spend," or "the people spending the hours are sad."

"The atmosphere is relaxed" means not "the atmosphere itself is relaxed,"
but "the people in the atmosphere feel relaxed."
They are relaxed not by the atmosphere but by something else.

On the other hand, "the atmosphere is relaxing" suggests:
the atmosphere itself relaxes the people.

この回答へのお礼

Thank you very much for your second reply.

The example of the "Sad hours" sits well with me.

Thank you also for the comparative example of "relaxed and relaxing".

お礼日時：2013/08/09 12:52

No.4 回答者： miknnik 回答日時： 2013/08/08 14:50

First off, a little correction: I came across THIS sentence, "The atmosphere is cordial and relaxed" in [some/a certain English study (or lesson)] software.

In your first sentence, you can't use 'the' before 'sentence' and 'English study software' because you have not introduced them to your readers. I suppose you can say 'some English study material software,' but it sounds clunky and redundant.

As for 'relaxed' and 'relaxing,' both can be used but the meanings are different. 'Relaxed' means casual, low-keyed, easy-going, etc. For instance, we can say, "Our company is very casual and, as a matter of fact, has one of the most relaxed dress codes." It means this company's employees get to show up at work in casual clothes. 'Relaxing,' however, means physically relaxing, peaceful, just going, "Ahhhhh..." So, you can say, "I find listening to classical music very relaxing."

In other words, the sentence you posted above means that the atmosphere is friendly and casual, but it could be warm and peaceful as you suggest.

この回答へのお礼

Thank you for correcting my mistakes.

Also thank you very much for the information.

お礼日時：2013/08/09 12:50

No.3 ベストアンサー 回答者： SPS700 回答日時： 2013/08/08 14:02

The original use is more idiomatic, as the second meaning below indicates, relaxed is an adjective.

http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/relaxed

この回答へのお礼

Thank you very much.
I see that the original one is more idiomatic.

お礼日時：2013/08/09 12:49

No.2 回答者： Wungongchan 回答日時： 2013/08/08 13:54

I see nothing wrong with “The atmosphere is relaxed.” With this sentence, I picture people in a room who are actually relaxed. It’s the atmosphere produced by relaxed people.

Whereas, the atmosphere in“The atmsphere is relaxing” is simply the atmosphere which makes people relaxing, nothing more and nothing less.

この回答へのお礼

Thank you very much.

お礼日時：2013/08/09 08:29

No.1 回答者： wind-sky-wind 回答日時： 2013/08/08 13:19

You mean, "The atmosphere RELAXES the people," so it should be "The atomosphere is relaxing."

In fact, however, originally, the people cause the atmosphere.
I mean, the atmosphere is relaxed by those present.

So, "relaxed" is more likely than "relaxing," though the latter isn't wrong.

この回答へのお礼

Thank you very much for your answer.

お礼日時：2013/08/09 08:29