Example sentences of "[was/were] [det] [pron] could [vb infin] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
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| 1 | Many people believed that such low molecular weight products were all one could hope for from ethylene . |
| 2 | Mundane soap and a tiny towel were all I could fault . |
| 3 | He did not possess a markedly religious temperament , and most of his concerns were those he could share with lay people . |
| 4 | Further on were those who were compelling to listen to ; and above them were those who could make you laugh , too . |
| 5 | The truth , she mused , as others had done before her , was an elusive element , and — short of shooting them in the kneecaps , or intermittently holding their heads under water there was little one could do to persuade people to reveal it . |
| 6 | ‘ They said there was little they could do about it , although they have been excellent and have stepped up their patrols . |
| 7 | Consequently there was little they could do early that night when a mammoth sea caught them dangerously broached-to , but the buoyancy of Mae West life jackets wedged in the bow and stern kept the waterlogged canoe afloat till the storm eased around midnight — some 24 hours after it blew up . |
| 8 | The guerrilla role changed once again , for there was little they could do against well defended airstrips when the natives gave away patrols before they were within striking distance of Japanese posts . |
| 9 | Without substantially re-thinking their politics , there was little they could do to resist these forces . |
| 10 | But there was little they could do about it except wring their hands at each fresh horror in its columns , analyse its transparently partisan coverage , and point out how its competitors were dragging their standards downmarket to try to keep up with its soaraway sales . |
| 11 | Although many Carlists and Falangists naturally disliked the Unification , with their fighting men busy at the front there was little they could do to resist it , especially since they shared the general Nationalist respect for ‘ authority ’ . |
| 12 | Critics might complain of what one of them called " the mysterious and irresponsible manner in which foreign politics are arranged " ; but there was little they could do to change the situation . |
| 13 | The district council had offered to go to Boston to discuss the situation with Digital executives but they had been told there was little they could do . |
| 14 | It seemed there was little which could tempt dealers to buy . |
| 15 | Until now , there was little we could do about this , but complaints have been taken seriously and discussions are now under way between OFTEL , the Office of Telecommunications , and the British Direct Marketing Association ( BDMA , representing companies who use telesales ) . |
| 16 | Charles and Dimity 's bleak surroundings worried Harold continuously but there was little he could do . |
| 17 | She heard Rab , ‘ Get up ya lazy swine , ’ but Phillis did not stir ; there was little he could do . |
| 18 | Agreed , there was little he could do to ‘ sweeten ’ the corpse , but so much depended on how the body was ‘ dress 'd and trimm 'd ’ ; few people would be willing to patronize a funeral furnisher who took little care over the presentation of bodies . |
| 19 | Although the strong-minded Negrín was never the Communist catspaw his many critics accused him of being , there was little he could do in the circumstances to prevent the Communists from exercising an increasingly independent and even dominant role within Republican Spain . |
| 20 | There was little he could do about the image . |
| 21 | There was little he could do to combat the hostility of the media , but after the frustrations of his first term he decided to face up to the bureaucracy and the legislature . |
| 22 | In the meantime there was little he could do to prevent Leathart 's inspection . |
| 23 | He thought he had probably broken it , but there was little he could do at this time of night . |
| 24 | He decided that although the Prime Mover had granted his wish , it was up to him how he used that time ; but with his badly broken body there was little he could do . |
| 25 | Blake tried to persuade him that there was little he could have done anyway , but the time traveller would not agree . |
| 26 | The development officer said she felt there was little she could do except visit occasionally . |
| 27 | He sensed it was because she could see he enjoyed the flying and there was little she could do . |
| 28 | She attempted to restore some order to her tousled hair with her fingers , then stroked on a little blusher to counteract at least a little of her pallor ; but there was little she could do to repair the ravages of the night , and finally she turned away with a heavy sigh . |
| 29 | She was not a small girl , was reasonably athletic for a woman , but there was little she could do to fight off a determined man , particularly when she was neither mentally nor physically prepared for such a brutal assault . |
| 30 | She also had a strong suspicion that , despite his kisses , Silas was thoroughly annoyed with her , and , while it made her feel depressed , she felt there was little she could do about it . |