Example sentences of "[was/were] about [to-vb] [pron] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | He got out of bed and walked across to Jackie as if he were about to say something . |
| 2 | Sarah seemed as if she were about to say something else , then thought better of it . |
| 3 | I thought you would g , oh I thought you were about to say I 've decided I 'm not coming . |
| 4 | Little did he know that the experienced dealers were about to teach him a lesson . |
| 5 | And that 's how Millie saw them when she entered the kitchen again , carrying the plate of chitterlings : the two people she cared for most , and who were about to lose her , laughing their heads off . |
| 6 | ‘ If I imagined you were about to repeat your foolishness of the other day I would insist that you came back to Paris now . |
| 7 | These 2 badgers were rescued from baiters who were about to let their dogs kill the animals . |
| 8 | Love the ultimate four letter word and were about to use it all over your television screen . |
| 9 | Those whom Balfour had described as ‘ the existing non-Jewish communities of Palestine ’ were about to undergo their first catastrophe . |
| 10 | Our old mates THE ORB popped round to Vibes central control the other day for tea and spacecakes and a quick intergalactic natter , and somehow they just happened to leave a whole box of ORB window stickers in the VIBES record cupboard — and would you believe it just as they were about to leave we could n't find the key ? |
| 11 | Now we have plants in India , Brazil erm we now have one in China , we were about to open one in Russia but it burned down . |
| 12 | What Claudia had in mind was some colouring of the evidence so that the district officer , Miles Turnbull , a harassed , overworked but popular man , who was dead — bien entendu — could be seen to have acted rashly in asking his askaris to point a gun at Tepilit , which Tepilit naturally interpreted as meaning they were about to shoot him . |
| 13 | Just when you thought they were about to finish they would burst off again . |
| 14 | We were about to issue one , with a buy recommendation , on Garth Enterprises . |
| 15 | One Sunday evening I went into the vestry to speak to a number of my girls who were about to take their first communion . |
| 16 | These nations were about to turn their back on an era of smoke-stacked factories , heavy machinery and blue-collar work , and embrace a new world of services , with its professions , white-collar employees and new office developments . |
| 17 | The crew of the boat on which he was travelling attacked and were about to kill him when he asked for a last favour — to play a tune . |
| 18 | The laughter had subsided , the ladies were folding the coat and dress and were about to lay it on a tissue-papered bed in a cardboard box , when Agnes said , ‘ What size shoes does she take ? |
| 19 | After around twelve years of what had been almost continuous debate , the recommendations of the Wolfenden Committee were about to reach their legislative conclusion . |
| 20 | Without any sign of hurry , or the slightest flicker of emotion , he took hold of her arm and removed it , just as the exploring fingers were about to reach their objective . |
| 21 | Brigadier Canford admired the lightning reflexes , the way she adjusted to a not-very-easy pony in seconds and showed up the others as she ruthlessly shoved them out of the way and cat-and-mouse-whipped the ball away just as they were about to hit it . |
| 22 | Whatever they had been ordered to do they were about to do it right away and Felipe replaced the phone with a dark frown on his face . |
| 23 | The last thing they wanted was for the Americans to know they were about to learn their secrets . |
| 24 | The employers were about to remove theirs by what its American champions were to call ‘ scientific management ’ , but in our period they were still groping for this solution . |
| 25 | ‘ Marjorie , you were about to tell me why this project annoys you more than any other project ever has . |
| 26 | ‘ You were about to tell me some bad news . ’ |
| 27 | ‘ Indeed — in Silmour Street , but that was several years ago , as I think you were about to tell me ? ’ |
| 28 | ‘ You were about to tell me if what I suggested could have happened . ’ |
| 29 | At the other end was a low stage , where failing acts established the poise with which they were about to endure their professional decline . |
| 30 | He lifted it , as if he were about to kiss it , laid it for an instant against his cheek , then restored it , still captive , to his knee . |