Example sentences of "[subord] only i [verb] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | thinking , Oh if only I spent a bit more time |
| 2 | He rubs it absently , accosting strangers in the street , seeking out a friend and within minutes exclaiming that he wants to be by himself , watching children wistfully , accusing wellwishers of persecuting him with their kindness ; until at last he explodes on the brink of confession in a terrible universal cry : ‘ Oh , if only I were alone and nobody loved me , and if only I had never loved anyone ! ’ |
| 3 | If only I had n't had that last cup of hot chocolate . |
| 4 | I should try it myself if only I had the time . ’ |
| 5 | If only I had a crinoline to sweep down the grand staircase in ! |
| 6 | They will say ‘ I did n't know he was hoarding the tablets ’ or ‘ If only I had listened to what he was saying , maybe he was trying to tell me how he felt , and I was always too busy to listen . ’ |
| 7 | If only I had his nerve , think of the greasy eggs and tough bacon I could have been spared ! |
| 8 | Oh ma'am if only I had shown myself strong in the face of temptation ! |
| 9 | If only I had as much spare time as you evidently do , then I would happily reciprocate by wandering about this house reminding you of tasks you have perfectly well in hand . ’ |
| 10 | If only I had been less impatient and tried to go last . |
| 11 | If only I had a duck 's back instead of wafer thin skin . |
| 12 | ‘ If only I had the means to set you up in a house where I could visit you . ’ |
| 13 | If only I had a ghost . |
| 14 | But if only I had been right , if only it were just Kinnock , or for that matter a couple of remediable policies or the voting system , that were the problem . |
| 15 | ‘ If only I had n't called it off she might still be here . ’ |
| 16 | At once she burst into tears and hugging me for the first time in years ( it seemed ) , cried , ‘ If only I had their faith ! ’ |
| 17 | He went on for a long time — we had such energy , then , in our quarrels — and sank deeper and deeper into what was really absurdity , saying that it was all his fault , he had been a lousy husband , too absorbed in his job to notice I was bored and fretting because I was ‘ wasting my education ’ , and that if only I had been ‘ straight ’ with him , we could have done something to put this right . |
| 18 | If only I had n't said this , that or the other . |
| 19 | Among people in their fifties there is a marked sense that , " if only I had been born 20 years later I could have had a better time ! " |
| 20 | If only I had understanding , to send them back to their waters ! ’ |
| 21 | ‘ If only I had a pretty voice — I 'm quite without tune , am I not ? ’ |
| 22 | ‘ If only I had some money put by , ’ he told Rosie , as he was taking her home to the pub one evening . |
| 23 | If only I had someone to talk to . |
| 24 | If only I had wings , Oh what a difference it would make to things , All day long I 'd be in the sky , up on high , Talking to the birdies that pass me by |
| 25 | If only I had told you straight away the appointment was a hoax … ’ |
| 26 | If only I had known ! |
| 27 | ‘ The things I could do if only I had oodles of cash , ’ she added with an intense longing . |
| 28 | ‘ If only … ’ she thought , ‘ if only I had … ’ and returned to the house on the headland . |
| 29 | ‘ If only I had that opportunity such a rewarding experience working among people of that type . ’ |
| 30 | If only I had a stole or something to cover it up . ’ |