| No | Pattern | Freq | Relations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [was/were] [verb] [prep] a [adj] time | 25 |
|
| 2 | [was/were] [vb pp] [prep] a [adj] time | 23 |
|
| 3 | was [verb] [prep] a [adj] time | 23 |
|
| 4 | [was/were] [verb] for a [adj] time | 18 |
|
| 5 | were [verb] [prep] a [adj] time | 10 |
|
| 6 | [was/were] [verb] [prep] a long time | 10 |
|
| 7 | [was/were] [verb] [prep] a long time | 9 |
|
| 8 | [was/were] [v-ing] [prep] a [adj] time | 9 |
|
| 9 | [was/were] [verb] [prep] a short time | 7 |
|
| 10 | [was/were] [verb] [prep] a short time | 6 |
|
| 11 | [was/were] [verb] [prep] a [num ord] time | 5 |
|
| 12 | [was/were] [verb] at a [adj] time | 5 |
|
