Example sentences of "i [modal v] [vb infin] been a " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | ‘ I may have been a more enthusiastic scholar if they had been ! ’ |
| 2 | Just because I may have been a little short-tempered of late — ’ |
| 3 | From outside , the church looked very old , and deserted , and I began to wonder why I had come ; and I must have been a little late , because in the perfect stillness within , the members of the congregation already knelt — like statues , some caught in a swath of rainbow light where the rising sun shone through a stained-glass window , splashing the bowed heads and bent shoulders with crimson , royal blue , emerald and gold . |
| 4 | I sent the cheque back , saying that although it had been immensely good of them to bring me up , I must have been a great burden and was now a disappointment , so I would prefer them to keep this money as some repayment for all they had done . |
| 5 | I must have been a constant reminder of her , and he could n't bear it . ’ |
| 6 | " Sometimes I think I must have been a horse in a previous incarnation . " |
| 7 | But I think I can take it that I must have been a little — er — unsteady with my actions . |
| 8 | ‘ For once , not Rosemary , though I 'm getting more and more desperate about not knowing what to do for the best , ’ he confessed , but went on to explain , ‘ I spent a lot of time yesterday in realising that I must have been a real wet blanket when Naylor announced your engagement on Saturday . ’ |
| 9 | They say I should 've been a member of Leith branch . |
| 10 | I should have been a lesbian ! |
| 11 | I should have been a bit a bit clearer about that . |
| 12 | I should have been a detective , she thought , as her journey ended . |
| 13 | The reaction to that speech - and my reaction to that , the attempt to explain and apologise — put a firm stop to any hope I might have had that I might have been a candidate for leadership of the party . ’ |
| 14 | Later I learned that the wedding had nearly been postponed , as the two families thought I might have been a terrorist uttering a veiled warning against the nuptials . |
| 15 | Again those expressions of disgust : I might have been a leopard trapped by big-game hunters , when mercy did not enter into their thoughts . |
| 16 | ‘ I could have been a little hasty in my diagnosis , ’ Arty allowed with an embarrassed smile . |
| 17 | From behind I could have been a man with my hood up . |
| 18 | I could have been a cricketer — I had two uncles who captained the English counties years ago — but a photographer , no . |
| 19 | She said last night , ‘ I played steady golf and , although I could have been a bit sharper , I am not disappointed with my start . |
| 20 | Or I could have been a bit less awkward , and said , you just give me the positive one . |
| 21 | I could have been a model , I reckon , though at twenty five I suppose I 'm too old now . |
| 22 | I could have been a set-up . |
| 23 | ‘ After all you 've done in the past for Rosemary and me , and are still doing , ’ he went on , ‘ I got to thinking yesterday that I could have been a sight more energetic in letting you know how delighted I am that you 're going to marry my cousin . |
| 24 | And if I had n't met the people I 've met , I think I 'd 've been a very frustrated person cos erm , even though you can think of something , un unless , if you have other people you can go , if you say to somebody you could say , oh God , you know let's do this and this and this , or I think , really think this or this and someone else goes yes I do |
| 25 | With the cash to match my pretensions I 'd have been a menace for our Dennis . |
| 26 | I 'd have been a martyr , would n't I ? |
| 27 | Had I just seen the DOS version , I 'd have been a little niggled about some of the design parameters , but very impressed at the functionality , with an overall favourable opinion . |
| 28 | I 'd have been a lot more worried if I 'd known how much it was going to be … |
| 29 | If it had n't of been for the war I 'd have been a model ! |
| 30 | If I had put a tea cosy on my head I would have been a dead ringer for Mrs Pankhurst , but it affected my behaviour even more than my looks . |