Example sentences of "[noun sg] had been [to-vb] a [noun] " in BNC.
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| 1 | In an end-of-year assessment at Westminster , Mr Ashdown admitted that when he became leader , his job had been to stabilise a party ‘ in a fast downward spiral of disintegration ’ . |
| 2 | The initial objective of the ITE initiative had been to encourage a reorientation of the work supported by ITAB into avenues of relevance to the engineering community , using the existing committee structure as far as possible . |
| 3 | In establishing a Peace Council the aim had been to create a body composed of representatives of associations , political parties , the private sector and the government to design a new peace strategy . |
| 4 | If the objective of his policy had been to maintain a balance of power by opposing the strongest nation in Europe , he was no doubt picking the wrong enemy ; France was the rising power , and later in the century English policy was devoted to holding her in check . |
| 5 | I recall that two years ago at the NFT he announced that his great ambition as a young man had been to become a movie director : now ( aided by director of photography William Lubtchansky and production designer Chloe Obolensky ) he has made a landmark television film . |
| 6 | Her brief had been to visit a number of Northern provincial collections and select works that would fit neatly within her chosen theme . |
| 7 | The mission had been to penetrate a terrorist base in Libya and eliminate all personnel , which included Salim Al-Makesh , an advisor to the Black June , a movement founded by Abu Nidal in I976 in protest at the involvement of Syria in the Lebanese civil war , and Jean-Jacques Bernard , a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine . |
| 8 | His first experience in magic had been to give a show at the Miners Welfare hall at the age of 11 . |