Example sentences of "could [adv] be [vb pp] as [art] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
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| 1 | Between them , they boasted only one painting which could properly be described as a masterpiece , a playful double portrait by Allan Ramsay which featured at Christie 's , while both catalogues were padded with dull works , as is usual in this category of art . |
| 2 | Thus , if a merger was to lead to the creation of a dominant position and a consequent restriction of competition , this could arguably be classed as an abuse . |
| 3 | 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 . |
| 4 | the cable that was demonstrated in the magazine was a little like a lobster claw cable , or could perhaps be described as a three-way plait . |
| 5 | Once mistaken for a joker , he could henceforth be seen as a crank : an important advance in reputation , though this playful and darting mind was seldom so serious as when it was spoofing , or so earnest in intent as when making a joke . |
| 6 | The manner in which death came to men , including those innocent of any offence , could be so appalling that the final stroke could only be regarded as a merciful relief . |
| 7 | Furthermore , it was felt that the potential costs of providing the necessary microfilming equipment , plus additional staff time , would outweigh any benefits gained , particularly as this could only be regarded as an interim solution before progressing to greater computerisation . |
| 8 | Even if ( and I do not accept this at all ) neutrality could only be justified as a means to a fair contest , it should not be identified with action securing a fair contest . |
| 9 | The refugee presence in neighbouring countries made the Palestine question highly visible , while from an Arab perspective the creation of Israel could only be seen as a smack in the face of the Arab nation . |
| 10 | Although Buckingham was to take possession in most cases only as offices fell vacant , the existence of such a powerful reversionary interest could only be seen as a threat by existing office holders . |
| 11 | Although Buckingham was to take possession in most cases only as offices fell vacant , the existence of such a powerful reversionary interest could only be seen as a threat by existing office holders . |
| 12 | Lord Osborne told the accused that it was a very serious offence and the happy feature of the case was that the baby had apparently not suffered very much at all in the long term — and this could only be seen as a miracle . |
| 13 | Their silence during the war when Winston Churchill ordered they could only be rung as a warning of invasion . |
| 14 | The response could only be described as a God-send to a nation that had lost its way . |
| 15 | After what could only be described as a very spirited fight a small but brilliantly coloured koi of about 7lb came to the net and I remember looking at it with disbelief that such a small fish could have pulled so hard . |
| 16 | These paintings , in other words , could only be read as the site of a complex play of forces . |
| 17 | The Treasury claimed that the firm 's decision could only be interpreted as a victory for Mr Lamont . |
| 18 | But in our news void that spring these dramatic changes could only be interpreted as an almost mythical message of hope . |
| 19 | Clearly , when real output per capita rises , it must be theoretically possible for the gainers to compensate any losers , but this could only be interpreted as an actual improvement if full compensation were actually paid . |
| 20 | In his speech , on 28 April 1939 , Hitler provided the following catalogue of achievements which , in the view of most ordinary Germans , could only be taken as a breathtaking list of personal successes : |
| 21 | She was grinning at Harold in what could only be construed as a saucy way . |
| 22 | The latter , Durkheim asserted ( wrongly , as later anthropological field studies were to show ) predominated in primitive conditions and could thus be employed as a measure of the mechanical solidarity present . |
| 23 | Morphology was a descriptive rather than an experimental science , but it was conducted in the laboratory rather than the field and could thus be presented as a symbol of modernization . |
| 24 | Lear was also subject at the hands of his employer to even more glaring misacknowledgements : in what could generously be described as an insensitive oversight , four of the plates in Birds , are referred to at the bottom of the page as being ‘ drawn from Nature and on Stone by J & E Gould ’ , while the style of the bird and the signature on the drawing itself are patently Lear 's . |
| 25 | The shape of this design could best be described as a spray , the two outer points being provided by pieces of vetch , and the other leaves being rose and Japanese maple . |
| 26 | For a health service observer such a home could easily be seen as a failure . |
| 27 | He could easily be presented as a modest example of Samuel Smiles 's self-help — the illegitimate son of a farm-servant and a weaver , totally lacking in formal education , who advanced from Oldham textile-worker to foreman in an engineering works , until in 1861 he set up independently as a dentist , dying worth almost £15,000 , which was by no means negligible : a lifelong radical Liberal and temperance advocate . |
| 28 | Such a pattern of non-deglutitive , simultaneous repetitive contractions could easily be misinterpreted as a sign of primary or secondary oesophageal motility disorder . |
| 29 | It is not quite clear what he meant by this ; the point may well be not that the new kings — Eardwulf in Northumbria , and Coenwulf in Mercia — were of non-royal stock but that they were not of the lineage , respectively , of Aethelred and Offa — but it could easily be construed as a slur . |
| 30 | Certainly there is Biblical precedent for splashing out on special occasions — Martha 's anointing of Jesus with the expensive ointment could easily be used as a justification for spraying around a little champagne to hansel a special occasion . |