Example sentences of "[was/were] the first [noun sg] on " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | In April there was the first deficit on the visible trade account for 10 years ; for the first four months of 1991 the deficit was DM12,000 million ( compared with a surplus for 1990 as a whole of DM77,000 million ) . |
| 2 | The centre of the discussion was the school curriculum ; and it was frequently observed at the time that this was the first occasion on which politicians or the public at large had concerned themselves with what had hitherto been a wholly professional matter . |
| 3 | I had been along this track many times , and this was the first occasion on which I hesitated to pass the rocks . |
| 4 | It was the first occasion on which the atomic constitution of matter had been recognised as producing visible effects . |
| 5 | So far as I am aware , this was the first occasion on which it was made clear that the period which elapses before a prisoner serving a life sentence is released is determined by consideration of two factors , namely : ( i ) the period necessary to satisfy retribution and deterrence , which has come to be called ‘ the tariff ; ’ and ( ii ) a possible further period if it is thought by the Parole Board and/or the Secretary of State that the prisoner would pose an unacceptable risk of danger to the public were he to be released at the end of his tariff period . |
| 6 | This was the first occasion on which the ancestors of the modern Slovenes found themselves included in a political unit which extended into central Europe . |
| 7 | On Nov. 27 , 1989 , mujaheddin representatives handed over two Soviet prisoners of war to the Soviet ambassador to Pakistan in Peshawar ; this was the first occasion on which the rebel forces had released any Soviet prisoners . |
| 8 | The Judaization of Jerusalem had been under way since the Israelis occupied the whole city in 1967 , but this was the first occasion on which Jews had moved into the Christian Quarter . |
| 9 | It was the first occasion on which the country had voted since Gen. Manuel Noriega was removed from power by US forces in December 1989 and replaced by President Guillermo Endara Gallimany [ see pp. 37112-13 ] . |
| 10 | It was the first occasion on which the giant warship 's guns had been fired in action since the Korean war . |
| 11 | The engagement was the first occasion on which the US had admitted to the capture of enemy ground units inside Iraqi-controlled territory . |
| 12 | Abe 's arrest was the first occasion on which a serving Diet member had been arrested on bribery charges since the Lockheed scandal of 1976 . |
| 13 | The conference , which included all 10 of the country 's provincial premiers , representatives of the federal government and territorial and native leaders , was the first occasion on which the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec had participated in direct constitutional negotiations since the collapse of the Meech Lake accord in 1990 [ see pp. 37519-20 ] . |
| 14 | This was the first occasion on which such a figure had been published by the Chinese authorities . |
| 15 | The LJV claimed that Rios was the first name on a " hit list " of 127 public figures whom it considered to be involved in corruption , prominent among whom were former President Jaime Lusinchi and his wife and former secretary Blanca Ibáñez . |
| 16 | It was the first work on which he collaborated-and collaborated happily-with Nicholas Georgiadis but it is now given in the heavy scarlet , black and gold designs which Georgiadis substituted in 1980 . |
| 17 | Twelve-year-old Tim was the first patient on the £500,000 scanner as he clung to life after suffering horrific head injuries in the Warrington bombing outrage . |
| 18 | It was the first metal on the shopping list when the US Federal Emergency Management Agency began increasing strategic stockpiles in the early 1980s . |
| 19 | This building was erected in the nineteenth century and was the first mill on the site . |
| 20 | Now he is confined to 125cc racing and this restriction was never more evident than at Carrowdore when he won the 125cc class which was the first race on the card and then spent the rest of the day on the sidelines talking to anyone who might listen to him — myself included . |
| 21 | Ivor Leonard was the first pressman on the scene . |
| 22 | The possibility of ending of National Service was not mentioned in these guidelines , but it was the first item on the agenda of subjects to be discussed , and it was seen in the Whitehall market-place to be the political ‘ Blue Chip' stock of the year . |
| 23 | As this was the first item on the agenda , the Prime Minister made her appearance at ten thirty-three , immediately after the Chairman had made his announcement . |
| 24 | Fortunately I had a space on a half-occupied two-tier stand for a 48″ × 18″ × 15″ tank , so that was the first item on the shopping list . |
| 25 | Unfortunately , a single lapse in this mother 's policy was the first step on the slippery slope of interrupted nights . |
| 26 | Most founders and managers felt that discipline was the first step on the road to all kinds of mental , moral , and physical improvement . |
| 27 | It is now generally accepted that this meeting was the first step on the unpremeditated road which led to the establishment of the London Veterinary College . |
| 28 | But he was the first step on the path to those persons and he had to get this right ! |
| 29 | The Little Vestry was the first room on the left . |
| 30 | Not that childbirth was the first thing on anyone 's mind yesterday . |