Example sentences of "they had [been] [verb] a [adj] " in BNC.

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1 When the cameras had long since departed , I was left to carry the can and answer any angry participants who felt they had been given a raw deal .
2 Astute team that they were — from Kylie herself , through father Ron and Svengali Blamey to PR people Sally Atkins and the McCright brothers Ron and Rob — they were aware they had been dealt a one-off set of cards .
3 More satisfied than if they had been handed a big discount on a plate .
4 After hearing that they had been attending a high school graduation party , they were released by the judge on the condition that they were each driven to their parents ' home exactly as they appeared in court — with only a blanket for
5 One moment they had been crossing a burning glade of shoulder-high grass in the full glare of the sun and the next they descended abruptly into a dark , silent , mysterious world where the air was cool and moist , the earth soft and spongy underfoot , and dazzling orchids blazed suddenly among the deep green undergrowth .
6 Most of the ‘ masters ’ of torture said that they had been fighting a desperate unseen war , whose atmosphere could not be imagined by people from democracies .
7 The dispute was still continuing in 1637 : the lessees of the disafforested lands complained that ‘ the people of the country adjacent will not pay any considerable rent for what they say have been their commons ’ , although they had been allotted a considerable share of the forest wastes in lieu of common rights .
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