Example sentences of "[noun sg] [was/were] [pron] not for [art] " in BNC.
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| 1 | This would offer a considerable threat to the future supply of labour were it not for the fact that agriculture also attracts a disproportionate number of school-leavers — more , in fact , than it could possibly cope with if they were all to stay in the industry . |
| 2 | Roxburgh 's observation that high expectation can be dangerous might have carried more weight were it not for the fact that nobody appears to have a loftier opinion of Ferguson than the 21-year-old himself . |
| 3 | It then compares the costs incurred for control samples with those of action sample clients , and finally examines the most important question as far as this project is concerned : whether those who were sustained at home with project support for six or l2 months after their referral to the psychogeriatrician cost more , less , or about the same to keep at home compared with the cost of institutional care ( taking into account the probability of their being in an institution were it not for the project support ) . |
| 4 | The Goblin King , Grom the Paunch of Misty Mountain , infamous old Goblin Warlord and Lord of the Crags , was suddenly and unexpectedly struck by what could have been a big rock were it not for the sploshy red stuff that exploded from it , showering the goblin horde . |
| 5 | This long experience , monopoly position and continued popularity might have engendered an element of complacency were it not for the enthusiasm and dynamism of the teaching team assisted by the advice and encouragement of industry representatives . |
| 6 | These moves would not disgrace a HVS climb were it not for the fact that two sets of in situ threads protect them perfectly : a good testing ground to see if you are up to greater things . |
| 7 | I would pause to wipe away a tear or two of my own at this point were it not for the fact that the dear departed , otherwise Rory Underwood , has decided not to depart . |
| 8 | Drained of its colour , the central square of grass might have been a stretch of water were it not for the absence of reflected buildings on its calm surface . |
| 9 | He could , Dalgliesh thought , have been judged an outstandingly handsome man were it not for a certain incongruity of feature , perhaps the contrast between the fineness of the skin stretched over the flat cheekbones and the strong jutting jaw and uncompromising mouth . |
| 10 | It would be easy to dismiss this significance were it not for the fact that general or national interests continue to be important and highly effective rallying cries for much of contemporary politics . |
| 11 | A great detective might have considered this an astounding coincidence were it not for the fact that the hostelry was the only place in the whole of King 's Magnum Parva where a lady or a gentleman might obtain a meal . |
| 12 | The door opened unexpectedly , and he would have fallen into the dark kitchen were it not for the fact that after four inches it jarred and stuck . |
| 13 | Even this would not in itself warrant lengthy description were it not for the fact that Verdun 's peculiarly sinister environment came to leave an imprint on men 's memories that stood apart from other battles of the First War ; and predominantly so in France where the nightmares it inspired lingered perniciously long years after the Armistice . |
| 14 | Also the proportion of rods to spinelets varies to the exclusion of spinelets which would lead to confusion with O. densa were it not for the different number of arm spines , the proximal spines forming a fan and the raised oral frame . |
| 15 | Many would dismiss Peter Thompson 's pessimism out of hand were it not for the fact that he was the author of a paper in July 1987 , when the market was at its pre-crash high , called ‘ The End of the Long Bull Market ’ . |
| 16 | Crocodiles can lose water at a rate of up to half of that of amphibians ( which have a much more permeable skin , and would greatly suffer from desiccation on land were it not for the safety valve of a reduced urine flow , which passes much of its water content back into the body ) . |
| 17 | ‘ We believe that we might have had it this year were it not for the election . ’ |
| 18 | Replacement of the eroded ragstone facing could have provided a problem were it not for the fact that the builder who was employed to undertake the conversion was dismantling an identically constructed church at Canterbury at the same time and thus it was possible to import salvaged ragstone from the demolition for re-use at All Saints and St Barnabas . |
| 19 | It would be an interminable occupation were it not for the fact that what one learns about the landscape of one town often throws a flash of light upon a topographical puzzle in another . |
| 20 | On page 37 of his volume of reminiscences [ Burton was to write in an article on rugby ] , Mr Williams is kind enough to suggest that I had distinct possibilities as a player were it not for the lure of tinsel and paint and money and fame and so on . |
| 21 | Mr Museveni would have been unable to stay in power were it not for the economic success unfolding around him . |