Example sentences of "[modal v] [not/n't] begin [to-vb] the " in BNC.
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| 1 | But it could not begin to realize the grandiose schemes dreamed up in St Petersburg to establish schools , orphanages , hospitals , clinics , veterinary services , insurance funds , grain stores , and so forth . |
| 2 | For the little boy who had found a family could not begin to understand the anguish he had unwittingly caused to the family who had lost a little boy … |
| 3 | I had won the scholarship to the grammar school and I could n't begin to describe the joy it gave to Aunt Hettie and Uncle Fred . |
| 4 | They know better than anyone that all the badmouthing of men they could manage would not begin to balance the inequality they experience when it comes to the job market — fewer opportunities , low wages , nonexistent child-care facilities and a hopelessly uneven battle to survive if , for example , the father of their children jumps ship and fails to pay any maintenance . |
| 5 | I ca n't begin to imagine the sort of furore that might break out if er judges started to hand out the sort of penalties that they saw fit in particular cases . |
| 6 | But until we understand how and why they are such reasons and how they differ from ordinary reasons we will not begin to understand the nature of authority . |
| 7 | Without this , one can not begin to grasp the size and complexity of Charles ' achievements — such as the uncanny speed with which he could move troops across great distances . |
| 8 | But it is obvious that the reparative principle can not begin to justify the penal system that we have , since most punishments ( and most notably imprisonment ) contain little or no reparative element , and may even make it difficult or impossible for the offender to make amends . |
| 9 | ‘ Money can not soften some things , ’ Wilson said ‘ and you can not begin to imagine the insults , the nature of the insults , as though I were a woman of the streets … |