Example sentences of "the [noun pl] had [adv] [been] [adj] " in BNC.
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| 1 | The challenge of the reformers had been one great reality but the showmen had always been aware of the other reality and that was that very large numbers of ordinary people , and that included the rich and the poor and people from all nations , were fascinated by moving pictures . |
| 2 | The Scots had never been parochial in their cultural self-perceptions . |
| 3 | The VNODD as well as the communists had already been involved in fomenting strikes but on the whole they do not seem to have attached themselves to any cause other than nationalism and , while they were particularly active in attempting to subvert the army , when they finally and out of desperation , having been heavily penetrated by the Sûreté , attempted to begin their armed struggle , many of the Vietnamese riflemen in the battalion , which was induced to mutiny , rallied instead to their French officers . |
| 4 | Local elections confirmed the trend and their historian has interpreted them as showing that " by 1913 , the Conservatives had rarely been stronger in the Councils of the land , or indeed more poised for success in the forthcoming general election " . |
| 5 | The upholstery of the seats had once been crimson : it had faded to a faint red glow , balding , springs occasionally exposed . |
| 6 | And the disciples had apparently been unable to help the boy . |
| 7 | The attackers had obviously been surprised by the ferocity of their defence . |
| 8 | Local people were angered that the police had apparently been unable to prevent the invasion . |
| 9 | The dinners had always been all-male affairs , with formal suits and speeches , and long continued to be . |
| 10 | The walls had once been beige ; the chairs were like the nasty one beside his bed ; the tables were formica . |