Example sentences of "[noun sg] [was/were] a [noun sg] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | Instead , his side were a shambles again , a disgrace . |
| 2 | Its principal avowed aim was to give legislative form to the decision , contrary to the recommendation of the Law Commission , 46 and thereby allow the parties in these ‘ tragic cases ’ the dignity of a decree of nullity so that , if thought fit , provision for ancillary relief could be made by the court , and the unsavoury examination of their sexuality , rendered necessary if the only recourse were a declaration of status , could be avoided . |
| 3 | Large companies are facing price increases averaging 20 p.c. this year and say that efforts to cushion the rises through a recent Nuclear Electric auction were a flop . |
| 4 | Distance and impossibility were a help . |
| 5 | The companies chosen for the study were a creamery , an oil platform , an NHS hospital , a construction site , and a transport company . |
| 6 | In 1939 , as in the 1920s , any imports that could conceivably be replaced by nationally produced goods had to be reduced to a minimum or stopped altogether , even if the result were a reduction in quality . |
| 7 | If her mind were a warship , the crew would be rushing to their battle stations . |
| 8 | It is easy to say that the years of Unionist rule were a travesty of what democracy is , or ought to be . |
| 9 | On the tray were a jug of tepid water , a plate of raw bloody meat and two mouldy lemons . |
| 10 | Inside the college at Lincoln the students thought that this teacher was a fine teacher and fun but too odd to be offered responsibilities ; and outside the college were a plethora of people who were not the university of Cambridge , anxious to offer every variety of job , pastoral , academic , or administrative . |
| 11 | The manager is no better off , seemingly , than if the employee were a sub-contractor , whose contract could be rescinded for poor performance . |
| 12 | Jammed into the undergrowth were a number of dead bodies . |
| 13 | We must have often seemed to deny them the obedience and ‘ proper respect ’ demanded by the institution , for we obviously did not emulate their style and in effect were a vision of impurity existing right inside the body of the organization . |
| 14 | The sociology of religion was a subject of primary concern for the ‘ founding fathers ’ of sociology — most notably for Max Weber and Emile Durkheim . |
| 15 | He spoke of Indian religion ; and indeed comparative religion was a subject becoming popular , a region in which scientific study seemed possible . |
| 16 | We can see from Royal Institution Discourses again how religion was a part of the scientific culture , along with education and more central topics like energy . |
| 17 | Dionysiac religion was a religion of initiates , , and at the centre of its worship was the mystical evocation of nature 's awesome unity , the primal unity concealed by our dismemberment into individuals , and the worshippers ' yearning for a recovery of that unity . |
| 18 | His funeral cortege was a quarter of a mile long , and the procession included not only members of Oxford University and distinguished public figures , but also representatives of the underprivileged , whose cause he had championed most vigorously . |
| 19 | Isolation was a prospect Charles would confront ( so Archbishop Hincmar reminded him ) terrifyingly in the next world : " when the soul has left power and riches and the body itself , and is left naked and alone , without wife and children , and without the comfort and fellowship of followers and vassals " . |
| 20 | Allsop 's auction was a record sell-out , with all but two of 111 lots sold for a total of £6.3 million , and other auction houses reported successful sales with average prices well above the guides . |
| 21 | The same weekend in 1990 was identical and sketching was a tedium of narrowed eyes against the glare . |
| 22 | If a player was not performing well the remedy was a spell in the reserves . |
| 23 | Headteachers in our survey reported that condoned truancy was a problem and that parents condoning their children 's absence included those from disadvantaged areas and those from ‘ leafy suburbs ’ . |
| 24 | In the Noah 's Ark was a guy who recognised me , but he did n't know Tamsin . |
| 25 | A DOPEY thief thought the hologram of William Shakespeare on a stolen cheque card was a mugshot of the OWNER . |
| 26 | They were right — the friend who 'd sent the card was a painter , separated from her handicapped husband . |
| 27 | The CBoT 's Mr Arbor squawked that the deal was a double-cross ; the two Chicago exchanges are in long-term negotiations to consolidate many of their operations . |
| 28 | From Loblaws ' point of view the deal was a bargain . |
| 29 | The Socialists ' price for the deal was a redistribution to labour . |
| 30 | Although Coleman still had qualms about the misuse of media credentials , foreseeing a time when immigration officials around the world would automatically assume that any visiting journalist was a spy , it would have been hypocritical to complain . |