Example sentences of "what [vb mod] have [been] a [noun] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
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| 1 | The other man was found dead nearby , he too had been shot in what may have been a drugs related killing . |
| 2 | There was what may have been a bishop 's mitre on the skull , which grinned amiably up at us . |
| 3 | FEBRUARY , May and August could be seen as rehearsals for November 's main event so that what may have been a series of happenings in these months could lead to November 's denouement . |
| 4 | Her eyes widened and for a moment she looked scared , but her model 's training stood her in good stead and she showed no other sign of what must have been a shock . |
| 5 | One of the rusting iron pipes fastened to the shed wall and apparently coming from what remained of the old boilerhouse inside , had a plate affixed to it , near the stump of what must have been a water stop valve . |
| 6 | From the Korthaus collection : a Böttger flared white beaker-vase , circa 1720 , estimate £10–15,000 sold for £45,000 ( $76,900 ) to a private collector with a dealer as the underbidder ; a Meissen silver-gilt mounted gold-ground blue-and-white cylindrical tankard , circa 1730 , estimate £6–8,000 : surprisingly for its quality bought-in at £4,500 ; sold after the sale for what must have been a bargain price ; a Meissen circular tureen and cover with fish handles , circa 1728 , sold to a private collector for £30,000 ( $51,270 ) , estimate £12–18,000 . |
| 7 | Peered into the mirror , pinched my cheeks , fiddled with my frizz , stuck out what should have been a chest , and , well pleased , sashayed , stiff with petticoats and pride , through the storm porch and out to the bus stop . |
| 8 | And what should have been a doddle for Lord Waddington turned into a disaster . |
| 9 | At what should have been a time to reflect on a most successful campaign to unite both Church and public in defence of fundamental Christian belief , Mrs Whitehouse was ‘ rocked ’ by the breaking of another controversy . |
| 10 | What should have been a routine exercise in extending the Government 's borrowing power to $3.1 thousand billion became bogged down in wrangling over legislative initiatives lawmakers wanted to attach to the bill . |
| 11 | And what should have been a piece of gaily irresponsible nonsense becomes impregnated with evil . ’ |
| 12 | Indeed , DEC president Bob Palmer , was missing from what should have been a showpiece event . |
| 13 | George Graham blamed fatigue for the poor standard of entertainment in what should have been a showpiece occasion . |
| 14 | Or what should have been a chord . |
| 15 | The twitch broadened fractionally into what might have been a smile on anyone else but on him was just a rearrangement of composed features . |
| 16 | The first X-ray showed what might have been a crack . |
| 17 | But a car was seen slowing down at what might have been a pick-up point on the A12 . |
| 18 | Thus the time spent on securing Kazakhstan turned what might have been a sideshow in central Asia into a major international issue . |
| 19 | As lavish as always with his hospitality Victor began dispensing free cognac and coffee in celebration of what might have been a prodigal son 's return , introducing his regulars to D'Arcy and he to them . |
| 20 | It is the high quality of musical performance , as well as the staging , which somehow make what might have been a curiosity into an entertaining and disturbing theatrical experience . |
| 21 | His hand reached for hers again as they went into what might have been a salon in the heyday of the old house . |
| 22 | If Donuel ( Domnall ) , father of Talorcan 's successors in the kingship of the Picts , first Gartnait and then Drest , could be securely identified as Domnall Brecc , formerly king of Dál Riata , Gartnait and Drest could perhaps be viewed as the beneficiaries of an alliance between the Scots and the northern Angles against the Picts ; but Donuel 's identification with Domnall Brecc is not certain , and what could have been a break in the succession of kings of the Picts occurred from 663 to 665/6 between the death of Gartnait and the accession of Drest . |
| 23 | I could n't see whether the revolver was a replica or real , and I certainly was n't going to risk my life for what could have been a bag of pennies . |
| 24 | Or you may be like those who tell me they 've used what could have been a disaster to make their lives more what they wanted them to be . |
| 25 | Fortune smiled on me that night , and what could have been a disaster was averted . |
| 26 | He thus turned what could have been a tragedy into a melodrama , i.e. ‘ a sensational dramatic piece with crude appeals to the emotions ’ ( O.E.D. ) . |
| 27 | A family of four slept on through what could have been a tragedy in this farmhouse near Thame . |
| 28 | Thus , in the case of Parchment , the police committed what would have been a number of breaches of the rules had the accused been in the police station , but , simply because the supposed infractions had taken place before his arrival , the crown court held that nothing wrongful had occurred . |
| 29 | The World Cup triple jump bronze medallist has decided to run in the 100 metres at the Cleveland County Stadium on Saturday instead of going through the motions in what would have been a practice trial in his specialist event . |
| 30 | Guy 's spare , witty style of conversation lifted what would have been a family dinner into a special occasion . |