What verb would be appropriate for the blank?

[hirashin]

Hello, everyone.

Which verb would be good for the blank?

(a) We _____ her stories about Canada very interesting.
(b) He is the captain of the baseball team. Everyone _____ his pitching great.

I think "find" can be put in (a), and "finds" in (b). What about "think" and "thinks"?
Do you think of any other verb that fits in the blanks?

Hirashin

 

[Grandpa Frank]

I would say ....We think/believe her stories about Canada ARE very interesting.
He is the captain of the baseball team. Everyone thinks/believes his pitching IS great.

Uncle Frank(no expert)

 

[Glenn]

As they are, I'd say "find" and "finds", although the second one feels weird. I'd prefer "everyone thinks his pitching is great," and "believes" would also work, like Uncle Frank said.

 

[eeky]

I think the problem with "Everyone finds his pitching great" is that, even though it is grammatical, the relative formality of the sentence structure is at odds with the informal "great".

 

[hirashin]

Thank you all for your help, Uncle Frank, Glenn, and eeky.

How about this?
Everyone finds his pitching wonderful.

Hirashin

 

[JimmySeal]

No, I think that still doesn't work.

I'm having trouble thinking of a reason why that is, but I get the feeling that this usage of "finds" doesn't go well with words that express good/bad. I think it works better with more qualitative adjectives. Or it might be that it goes better with adjectives that express emotion:

Everyone finds his pitching exciting.
Everyone finds his pitching impressive.
Everyone finds his pitching boring.

 

[Glenn]

I agree. I think JimmySeal may be on to something here.

 

[hirashin]

Thank you for your help, Jimmy and Glenn.
Jimmy, are you an expert on language?
I'm afraid I still don't understand.
How about these?
1 Everyone finds his pitching fantastic.
2 Everyone finds his pitching artistic.
3 Everyone finds his pitching fascinating.
4 Everyone finds his pitching spectacular.
5 Everyone finds his pitching sharp.
6 Everyone finds his pitching interesting.
7 Everyone finds his pitching frustrating.
8 Everyone finds his pitching dull.
9 Everyone finds his pitching uninteresting.
Hirashin

 

[JimmySeal]

I'm not an expert on language, but I think I have a somewhat good understanding of it.

All of those sound ok to me, except maybe 5. Sharp might be an unusual adjective to apply to pitching.

 

[hirashin]

Thanks, Jimmy. You are great.

According to your profile, you live in Japan. Are you working in Japan if I may ask?

Hirashin

 

[JimmySeal]

Yes, I'm in Kyoto just like you, working as a computer programmer.

 

[hirashin]

Wow! You live in Kyoto! Are you working for a Japanese company?

I'm curious about the reason you chose Kyoto while many other
people choose Tokyo or Osaka?

Hirashin

 

[Glenn]

I lived in Kyoto for just under 11 months during my study abroad, and I loved it. It's so close to the old historical sites and has plenty of its own, plus it's just a nice town. It kind of reminded me of Boston, to be honest, where I also wouldn't mind living again.

 

[hirashin]

Wow! You lived in Kyoto, Glenn! I'm glad to hear you loved our city.

You lived in Boston, too? Did you go to university in Boston?

Long ago I heard a little about the city from Mr. Michita, who was a professor
of my university. He once taught international laws at Harvard Law School.

Hirashin

 

[Glenn]

Yes, I went to Berklee in Boston. When I was in Kyoto I was on exchange at Doshisha.

 

[hirashin]

Oh, Doshisha. Did you go to the campus near the Emperor's palace?

What did you study at Doshisha if I may ask?

Hirashin

 

[Glenn]

Yes, I was at the Imadegawa campus. It was pretty awesome going to school right there.

I was studying Japanese.

 

[hirashin]

Oh, you studied Japanese at Doshisha University.

Do you use it in your job now? Are you a translator?

Hirashin

 

[Glenn]

No, I'm doing something totally unrelated to Japan and Japanese at the moment.