I was startled to find vs I was startled after finding

Both phrases are correct, but they convey slightly different meanings. 'I was startled to find' implies that the act of finding something caused the startle, while 'I was startled after finding' suggests that the startle occurred subsequent to the finding. The choice between the two depends on the intended meaning.

Last updated: March 08, 2024 • 993 views

I was startled to find

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to express surprise or shock upon discovering something.

Examples:

I was startled to find a snake in my garden.
She was startled to find her keys in the refrigerator.
He was startled to find his name misspelled in the newspaper.

Show examples from the web [+]

The story was printed in the January number of the Mentor and, from a review of it in the Goodson Gazette, I was startled to find that a very similar story had been ...
I was startled to find the installation more like a crime scene than the idyllic garden I had been led to expect from many years of thinking and reading about the ...
As I studied her letter, I was startled to find in it a truly compassionate human being in service of the equally compassionate Harriet Beecher Stowe.
As I began to read up on my resident goddess I was startled to find two kinds of deity meditation practice. The first, familiar to us all, is to simply encounter the ...

Alternatives:

I was surprised to find
I was amazed to find
I was shocked to find
I was taken aback to find
I was astounded to find

I was startled after finding

This phrase is correct and can be used to indicate that the startle occurred following the act of finding.

This phrase is used to convey that the startle happened after the discovery of something.

Examples:

I was startled after finding out the truth.
She was startled after finding the hidden message.
He was startled after finding the damage to his car.

Alternatives:

I was startled upon finding
I was startled following the finding
I was startled once I found
I was startled when I found
I was startled right after finding

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I was startled to find vs I was startled after finding