Example sentences of "[was/were] [pron] an [adj] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | ‘ Were you an only child ? ’ |
| 2 | ‘ Were you an only child ? ’ |
| 3 | In fact , I remember Mr Simpson , the landlord of the Ploughman 's Arms , saying once that were he an American bartender , he would not be chatting to us in that friendly , but ever-courteous manner of his , but instead would be assaulting us with crude references to our vices and failings , calling us drunks and all manner of such names , in his attempt to fulfil the role expected of him by his customers . |
| 4 | ‘ Was I an awful pig ? ’ she murmured . |
| 5 | Not only was I an only child but my dad 's father was an orphan and my mum 's family had been happy to get out of Kensal Town — which was a little down the road . |
| 6 | Lord Harlech was himself an admirable choice to lead the newcomers but it was unwise and insensitive to use the family name in the title of an ITV station half of which belonged to the West Country . |
| 7 | In addition to drawing heavily on biblical condemnation of the Jews , it must be remembered that Luther was himself an eager student of Hebraic religious literature . |
| 8 | Richard Assheton may have employed the best church architects of his day because he was himself an amateur architect ( he designed a church at Flecknoe , near Daventry , south of Rugby ) and hence may have appreciated the difficulties of architectural design and the ability of talented practitioners to resolve them happily . |
| 9 | If Duncombe was himself an unaccomplished poet , he certainly laboured to promote the work of women whom he believed had been undervalued . |
| 10 | As the argument developed , I understood him to submit that as the remedy sought by the plaintiff was itself an equitable one , talk of strict estoppel was inappropriate , and he was content to put forward the alleged assurance and other matters to be considered in the exercise of my discretion . |
| 11 | During the next two reigns the decline of the Forest administration continued , despite the fact that Elizabeth I was herself an ardent follower of the chase . |
| 12 | Now , was there an Irish political meeting tonight ? " |
| 13 | Was there an upper age limit that you could compete ? |
| 14 | Was there an actual sway in the tower itself ? |
| 15 | ( b ) Applying Morris , was there an adverse interference with or usurpation of the owner 's rights ? |
| 16 | The cripple , for example , who had flung Allen into the stream , was he an honest man or a rascal ? |
| 17 | Was he an uninitiated infant |
| 18 | With a slow , teasing smile , he asked outrageously , ‘ So was he an eager lover , my little friend ? |
| 19 | Not only was he an important member of the ministry ( though without a cabinet place ) , he was also , from his father 's death in 1706 , the head of his family and the leader of the Tory interest throughout south Wales . |
| 20 | ‘ Was he an identical twin ? ’ |
| 21 | Mr Kronweiser was unsure about that ‘ we ’ : was it a plural , or was it an ironic reference to Viola Machin ? |
| 22 | Particular questions to be considered include : i to what extent has the emergence of new military technology from the laboratories been steered by strategic interests and too what extent was it an autonomous product of the laboratories ; ii how has the relationship between the work done in the national laboratories to that done by defence contractors altered ; iii what are the pressures for greater commercial application of research ; what effect has this had ? |
| 23 | Was it an unspoken criticism ? |
| 24 | We try to establish what caused it — was it an internal or an external cause ? |
| 25 | Was it an easy test ? |
| 26 | ( Or were some people very quiet ? ) 4 Did people listen to what other people were saying ? 5 Did everyone understand clearly what they had to do ? 6 How did the group agree on its answer ? 7 How did everyone feel about the answer that was agreed ? 8 Was it an equal group , or did someone act as a boss ? |
| 27 | Nor was it an appealing thought to the king that while his own bureaucrats and servants were being thus harried , the pope 's men were assured of dispensations enough , and that since the resigned livings were vacated by papal decree , and therefore in effect at the Curia , they were to be filled by papal provision , not by the previous or usual patron . |
| 28 | Alternatively , was it an iniquitous form of torture perfected in Munich ? |
| 29 | Not only was it an important factor in winning the Second World War , for its specific electrical insulating properties were a key to the development of radar , but it is one of those rare inventions which create an entirely new industrial development . |
| 30 | Was it an anonymous one ? ’ |