Example sentences of "[conj] a few [noun pl] of [noun sg] " in BNC.
Next pageNo | Sentence |
---|---|
1 | As she grew older , she looked upon herself , tragically , defiantly , with all the hopelessness of fourteen years , as a plant trying to root itself upon the solid rock , without water , without earth , without shade : and then , when a little older yet , when conscious of some growth , she had to concede that she must have fallen happily upon some small dry sandy fissure , where a few grains of sand , a few drops of moisture , had been enough to support her trembling and tenacious life . |
2 | The tiniest corner can become a retreat from the day 's troubles , where a patch of raked sand — seen through the right eyes — is a rippled lake , or a few stems of bamboo a hillside thicket . |
3 | In their present mood people would think nothing of mortgaging themselves for years ahead in order to acquire some trifling luxury like a jar of brandied peaches or a few leaves of tobacco . |
4 | Grey breath in the air , snowmen on the heath , pub bores droning on about how typical it is that a few inches of snow throws the whole country into chaos when the Swiss handle metres of the stuff without missing a beat . |
5 | Under cover of the conversation , Luke drew her attention , his hand brushing against her arm through the fine fabric of the lacy jacket , and she started nervously so that a few drops of wine spilled over the rim of her glass . |
6 | In the case of Santiaguito , there is little evidence that the dome is actually growing at all — one can sit and watch it for hours without seeing anything more than a few wisps of steam from the top — and it 's quite safe to scramble all over it . |
7 | Previously there were many beginners ' boards available but most were supplied with a massive 6.5m 2 sail which stretched and distorted to make it unmanageable in more than a few knots of wind . |
8 | But for years the garden , with its extraordinary follies and temples , had been decaying , and it was clear that soon no more than a few heaps of stone would be left . |
9 | She felt depressed , suspecting that her quip about rot setting in had held more than a few grains of truth . |
10 | The meagre rations — two lumps of meat and a few strands of pasta in thin soup — were to last them both for the whole day . |
11 | It can not be very comfortable , for it consists merely of an uneven depression on top of the stone wall , barely softened by dust and a few wisps of hay . |
12 | As a deep rumbling and a few wisps of smoke were produced by the yacht , he turned back to the Doctor . |
13 | So I made myself at home at the Golden Turk ; the two-faced landlord greeted me civilly enough , providing a chamber on the second floor with a pallet bed and a few sticks of furniture . |
14 | Ellis has sent us some veal and ham pie and a few half-bottles of champagne : I must keep playing on his guilt . |
15 | In the past the normal essay was handed in complete in final draft , and marked with a grade and a few sentences of comment from the teacher . |
16 | Surgical exploration confirmed pancreatitis with peritoneal petechiae and a few areas of cytosteatonecrosis . |
17 | Time was that decor in a tank consisted of a backdrop , a gravel substrate and a few bits of rock from the back garden that you hoped were inert and would n't affect water chemistry . |
18 | There 's a brand new Jag and a few bits of plant up there that need to be repossessed as quickly as possible . |
19 | You 'll need two plastic buckets , a couple of pounds of ‘ pea shingle ’ from the local builders ' merchant and a few drops of rosemary oil available from health stores or chemists . |
20 | Followed by one grated fresh apple topped with a quarter of a pint of vanilla-flavoured custard ( make half a pint of custard , adding a little extra sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence , and save half of it in the refrigerator for Friday ) . |
21 | Outside , the thunder rolled more loudly , and a few drops of rain began to plop against the thatch above their heads . |
22 | Still he and Child were able to give some advice based on their experiences with African elephants — and a few words of warning . |
23 | Turning to give his wife a look of gentleness and a few words of encouragement , he opened the door , his men fell in behind him and they left . |
24 | Jet beads , bone needles and pins and spoons , bronze horse-trappings and a tile of the IXth Legion lay on a stone table with a collection of coins and a few pieces of gold jewellery . |
25 | It is essential to provide places where the more sensitive species of marine fish can retire and a few pieces of rock to simulate their natural reef environment makes for a much more natural and stress-free environment . |
26 | It is not clear why : a pH change would affect other creatures and a few bales of straw are unlikely to affect the natural buffering action of the large amount of silt and decaying plant material already present . |
27 | Not too large , but with adequate stabling and a few acres of grazing . ’ |
28 | The testimony of those whose lives have been transformed by his work is very affecting : bonded labourers , now members of the union , some bonded for three generations for the sake of a loan of Rs200 ( £5 ) and a few kilos of padi ; now learning a trade through the ‘ polytechnics ’ established by the Chattisgarh Liberation Front . |
29 | Add the bay leaf and a few flecks of butter and bake four about 15 minutes . |
30 | A bone needle , some animal bones and a few sherds of pottery were found here . |