I am a native speaker of German, and I often see the English verb find being used like its German cognate finden. For example:
My students and I find your platform very useful and very appealing
visually, as well. — Source
This just feels wrong to me. Shouldn’t it be something like:
My students and I find your platform to be very useful and very appealing visually, as well.
Can you use find like that?
Answer
According to the Cambridge Grammar of English (p523) under the heading Complex Transitive Complementation:
Many common verbs may be used with a direct object followed by an
adjective phrase acting as an object complement.
The GCE includes the example:
We found the garden slightly disappointing.
This corresponds to the OP's first sentence:
My students and I find your platform very useful ...
which is consequently grammatical.
Among the other verbs listed by the CGE that can be followed by a direct object and object complement are: keep and make. CGE examples:
I must keep dad's (sic) dinner warm.
The whole of mankind makes me angry.
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