| No | Pattern | Freq | Relations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [was/were] [verb] for a [noun sg] | 546 |
|
| 2 | was [verb] for a [noun sg] | 459 |
|
| 3 | [was/were] [vb pp] for a [noun sg] | 326 |
|
| 4 | [was/were] [v-ing] for a [noun sg] | 284 |
|
| 5 | were [verb] for a [noun sg] | 173 |
|
| 6 | [was/were] look for a [noun sg] | 107 |
|
| 7 | [was/were] looking for a [noun sg] | 103 |
|
| 8 | [was/were] [verb] for an [noun sg] | 86 |
|
| 9 | [was/were] go for a [noun sg] | 29 |
|
| 10 | [was/were] going for a [noun sg] | 25 |
|
| 11 | [was/were] [to-vb] for a [noun sg] | 22 |
|
| 12 | [was/were] [verb] for a year | 20 |
|
| 13 | [was/were] [verb] for a while | 19 |
|
| 14 | [was/were] waiting for a [noun sg] | 19 |
|
| 15 | [was/were] wait for a [noun sg] | 19 |
|
| 16 | [was/were] [verb] for a moment | 15 |
|
| 17 | [was/were] make for a [noun sg] | 14 |
|
| 18 | [was/were] hoping for a [noun sg] | 14 |
|
| 19 | [was/were] use for a [noun sg] | 14 |
|
| 20 | [was/were] jail for a [noun sg] | 14 |
|
| 21 | [was/were] jailed for a [noun sg] | 14 |
|
| 22 | [was/were] [verb] for a week | 14 |
|
| 23 | [was/were] hope for a [noun sg] | 14 |
|
| 24 | [was/were] used for a [noun sg] | 13 |
|
| 25 | [was/were] made for a [noun sg] | 12 |
|
| 26 | [was/were] ask for a [noun sg] | 12 |
|
| 27 | [was/were] head for a [noun sg] | 12 |
|
| 28 | [was/were] [verb] for a period | 12 |
|
| 29 | [was/were] work for a [noun sg] | 11 |
|
| 30 | [was/were] heading for a [noun sg] | 11 |
|
