| No | Pattern | Freq | Relations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | were [verb] [prep] the first [noun sg] | 125 |
|
| 2 | were [vb pp] [prep] the first [noun] | 119 |
|
| 3 | were [verb] for the first [noun] | 48 |
|
| 4 | were [verb] [prep] the first time | 44 |
|
| 5 | were [verb] [prep] the first time | 44 |
|
| 6 | were [verb] in the first [noun] | 32 |
|
| 7 | were [v-ing] [prep] the first [noun] | 11 |
|
| 8 | were [verb] [prep] the first half | 11 |
|
| 9 | were [verb] [prep] the first half | 11 |
|
| 10 | were [verb] during the first [noun] | 10 |
|
| 11 | were [verb] by the first [noun] | 9 |
|
| 12 | were [verb] [prep] the first world | 7 |
|
| 13 | were [verb] [prep] the first world | 7 |
|
| 14 | were [verb] on the first [noun] | 7 |
|
| 15 | were [verb] [prep] the first week | 5 |
|
| 16 | were [verb] from the first [noun] | 5 |
|
| 17 | were [verb] [prep] the first round | 5 |
|
| 18 | were [verb] at the first [noun] | 5 |
|
| 19 | were [verb] [prep] the first round | 5 |
|
