ESL Usage Lesson: “found myself”

This lesson teaches students to use “found myself” when talking about a surprising or unexpected situation.

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Found myself [adjective]
Found myself [verb + ing]

If you say that you “found yourself” in a situation, this means that you are in a situation that is somewhat unexpected or surprising; you feel something that you hadn’t planned.

· When I took my first course in Finance in the university, I found myself fascinated with financial markets, and this is why I have decided to pursue a major in Finance.

· The first time I went to Europe, I found myself in awe of the historical culture, and this is why I hope to study in the UK.

· Last weekend I found myself doing something that I never thought I would do – watching TV all day long.

· I had planned to spend a week relaxing on the beach in Thailand, but when I was there, I found myself doing exactly the opposite of what I had planned – I was using my laptop all day long to get more work done.

· I had a great time traveling in India and Nepal. One day I was in a busy city surrounded by millions of people, and the next day I found myself in the mountains with a dozen monks meditating quietly.

· After working in the business world for 10 years, I found myself bored and frustrated about my future, so I decided to go back to school to study music, which is my true passion.

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Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences

1. The first time I saw a dwarf, I found myself _______________________________________________________

2. When the beautiful girl talked to Grant, he found himself ___________________________________________

3. The first time I went surfing, I didn’t like it, but the second time, I found myself ________________________

Now, using the sentences on the previous page as examples, write 3 sentences about yourself using “found myself”:

1. ___________________________________________________________

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2. ___________________________________________________________

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3. ___________________________________________________________

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