Hi Javi, This is a very long sentence with many pieces of information. There are many ways in which writers join ideas into sentences. They can be (i) using connectors (conjunctions) (ii) using relative clauses (e.g which/who/whom/that) to provide additional information about nouns. (iii) using commas. This is not a magical formula, of course. Part 1: But, I was taken aback and rather concerned = You were surprised and quite troubled THAT (relative clause) Part 2: something I thought I'd set up very well = something you felt you planned very nicely DIDN'T (another "separator" as "did/didn't/do/don't/does/doesn't" and "has/have/had" usually separates the noun before from the rest of the sentence.) Part 3: necessarily seem that way to everyone in my own project" = not everyone felt that you planned very well. It does not necessarily mean that a long sentence is a well-crafted one. Perhaps this sentence can be rewritten as: However, I was surprised and concerned that not everyone thought I have set up my project well. The original sentence appears convoluted to me, in part due to the fact that unnecessary adverbs such as "rather" and phrases such as "seem that way". Hope this helps. Cheers, Lance

"to be taken aback" by sth / that + clause = to be surprised, unsettled by sth / that + clause concerned = worried