Example sentences of "only to [be] [vb pp] that the " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
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| 1 | It was only to be expected that the contestants would take note of this background information , in one way or another . |
| 2 | After an eight hour [ night ] patrol , it was only to be expected that the policeman would prefer resting to hanging around the courts waiting to bring petty offenders to book . |
| 3 | I complained mightily , only to be told that the stone table was a well-intentioned afterthought , erected in recent times , and that it had been removed to restore the henge to its original form . |
| 4 | In the words of others he springs into action as a political firebrand , marching into the coal-owners ' offices and demanding justice for their exploited work-force , only to be told that the coal seams were too meagre and the profit margin too small to provide improvements in safety standards . |
| 5 | He rang the bell , and was asked in by the maid — only to be told that the family were at dinner . |
| 6 | The sturdily independent high tech sector had naught for the comfort of either major party in the run-up to today 's by-election in Newbury , Berkshire when the big guns from party headquarters showed up for photocalls during the build-up : Labour chose Vodafone Group Plc and tried to commiserate about the recession , only to be told that business had been going gangbusters for several months , the Tories went looking for green shoots at Micro Focus Plc , only to be told that the UK market was flat on its back , and that it was only foreign sales that were keeping the old Coboller busy . |
| 7 | Captain Budd got through to the police station by telephone , only to be told that the constabulary had the situation well in hand . |
| 8 | Upon landing , he filed an airmiss report only to be told that the glider had landed successfully with part of its wingtip missing near Axel . |
| 9 | It is only to be regretted that the Committee has not pursued this policy with sufficient boldness and consistency . |