Example sentences of "[prep] a [noun] were [adj] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | Rumours of a punch-up were rife . |
| 2 | A test showed that the frequencies of the three possible types of transition did not differ significantly from the values expected if the identity of a cone were independent of the identity of its neighbours and reflected only the absolute probability of that cone type ( ) . |
| 3 | When the inhabitants of a country were nomadic they had to be tied down in order to ensure that the land was properly exploited , but because in Russia they were predominantly sedentary state institutions could monitor their activity . |
| 4 | At that time the bones of a saint were important : the Abbeys would vie with each other to see who could claim to have the best holy relics , because bones performed miracles , which brought in the visitors . ’ |
| 5 | Miller , by contrast , holds that holist explanations are appropriate whenever a specific condition is met — whenever a social phenomenon would persist if the relevant properties of particular individual members of a society were different . |
| 6 | All the elements of a quasi-partnership were present and since there had been a loss of mutual confidence , on the basis of Ebrahimi v Westbourne Galleries Ltd [ 1973 ] AC 360 , it was just and equitable that the company should be wound up . |
| 7 | The historical circumstances of a text were important so that localised issues could be clarified and explained — effectively so they could be explained away . |
| 8 | Bleached hair , a diamond stud ear-ring and a reputation for being something of a hell-raiser were wonderful extras for the media to latch on to . |
| 9 | This has two aspects : that all the members of a group were obliged to join in the fighting or threats ; and that there was some automatic trigger contained in the genealogy which determined the number of the combatants . |
| 10 | His submission was that where the words of a statute were ambiguous or obscure or were capable of giving rise to an absurd conclusion it should be legitimate to look at the Parliamentary history , including the debates in Parliament , for the purpose of identifying the intention of Parliament in using the words it did use . |
| 11 | The depressed post-war state of the countries ' economies meant that little progress was made until the 1950s but the experience of modern warfare had at least convinced government circles that the old security arguments against a tunnel were redundant . |
| 12 | Do you think , for example , in Germany , in the nineteen-thirties , there was just an evil genius , Hitler , who managed to carry all before him , or do you think that the , the people as a whole were ready to be persuaded along those particular lines ? |
| 13 | In the last few years a powerful controversy has arisen over whether the dinosaurs as a whole were cold-blooded , like all living reptiles ( and there is no doubt that dinosaurs were reptiles ) , or warm-blooded , resembling mammals in this respect . |
| 14 | He opened a yard to receive consignments of iron ore , which he had arranged through an agent in Sweden , and contacts from his time employed as a salesman were invaluable in developing his trade . |
| 15 | Whatever Gould 's personal opinion of Gilbert , or whatever his error , his qualifications as a naturalist were undisputed , and singled him out as the ideal candidate for sharing Gould 's exploration . |
| 16 | The change brought some unexpected experiences and challenges , but all my years as a Head were full of interest and happy working relationships and I thoroughly enjoyed my career , a memorable and refreshing interlude in it being the Centenary summer term back at Somerville as a Schoolmistress Fellow . |
| 17 | Marines as a mass were invincible . |
| 18 | His successes as a wart-charmer were well-known in the locality . |
| 19 | Connections with her own practice as a painter were evident , even though her abstract compositions were very different in subject from the works of her chosen artists , who included Veronese and Poussin . |
| 20 | He noted that teachers as a group were supposed to be agents of change , ‘ but the environment within which the teacher operates has not changed ’ . |
| 21 | What we as a family were unanimous about was that he adopted no pose of being the distinguished writer , and even gave the impression that he much preferred not to be treated as such . |
| 22 | The theory , if such it can be called , which underwrote this use of the survey , was a " naive empiricist structuralism " according to which social structural facts about a society were susceptible to factual observation and description using the survey method . |
| 23 | He was a large , shambling man , with a strong New York accent and a tendency to slur his speech ; his powers as an orator were slim , and his prose style was unadorned . |
| 24 | Catholicism as an ideology and the Church as an institution were central to the strength of Spanish conservatism both before and during the Republic , thanks to the power not only of school , pulpit and press , but also of a large and comprehensive network of church-sponsored social , professional and farmers ' organizations within which much of the Catholic population was enmeshed . |
| 25 | Described as an innovation were little packs ( or growbags ) of planting soil that could be used under gravel to improve your results . |
| 26 | Over fifty years later in 1975 , another Conservative leader , Edward Heath , was to be overthrown , in part because , in March 1974 , he had proposed a coalition with the Liberals and , in October 1974 , he had proposed a government of national unity , Thus , among Conservatives , the motives for an election were clear : for those left out of the government , the desire to secure a Conservative majority for protection ; for the leadership , a desire to reunite the party , and simple self-preservation . |
| 27 | One shilling on Saturday and threepence for an evening were welcome additions to the family income . |
| 28 | In this case Brightman J decided that trustees who held most of the shares in a company were negligent when they failed to prevent the directors of the company from entering into a highly speculative property development project , which turned out to be unsuccessful . |
| 29 | That boy Ronan could convince even his own mother that the wounds he got in a playground were superficial , that the dirt on his clothes would easily wash out . |
| 30 | which in a way were pleased we have n't got to make the heart rending decision of him having his legs off , cos Denny told us , mum kept saying to him for three days , he would arch his back ooh , ooh , could n't move , and mum said yes he |