Example sentences of "serve [to-vb] the [noun sg] " in BNC.
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| 1 | The threat of prime ministerial resignation may also serve to whip the Cabinet into line when less subtle forms of persuasion have failed . |
| 2 | Such foods do not deserve the bad reputation they have gained over the years ; eating them more often might well serve to curb the appetite for fatty foods or confectionery . |
| 3 | A brief reminder to the reader of the nature of these uncertainties , without going into a lengthy digression on them , may serve to emphasise the point that this structural change , as much as the other kinds , added to the dilemmas of decision makers both in business and in government . |
| 4 | Whether the primary motive for the association was the wish to appear to be in partnership or to avoid being identified as sole practitioners was not clear , but the Tribunal drew attention to the fact that " such a sham partnership would serve to mislead the public who are entitled to believe that the persons being held out as being partners would enjoy the full relationship of support and responsibility which that state engendered " . |
| 5 | Nonetheless these friends will be aware that the sufferer ultimately has to make his or her own way back to recovery and that " helpful " actions should not serve to enable the sufferer to continue the recovery-threatening attitudes or behaviour without organising his or her own responsibility for the consequences . |
| 6 | Secondly , even though static analysis of the sort featured in Figures 5.3 and 5.4 may point to the stimulating effect of price reductions , dynamic considerations such as the effects of bankruptcy and default during the process of price deflation may serve to tighten the grip of recession rather than loosen it . |
| 7 | As is now possible with heart disease , perhaps preventive approaches will serve to increase the threshold for the appearance of illness . |
| 8 | This will simply serve to increase the possibility of conflict between the two dogs , because the social status of the newcomer is raised by your actions . |
| 9 | I am sure they had the pious hope that this foundation would actually serve to increase the nation 's general fitness by pumping money into sport , but if the money is to go on improving facilities at cricket clubs and down the country , then a large number of cricketers who rely on lousy playing conditions for their place in the side will be forced into retirement . |
| 10 | Opting out may also serve to encourage the development of private education . |
| 11 | Point to the spot , and this should serve to encourage the puppy to sniff in this region . |
| 12 | ‘ I believe that the new legislation and initiatives such as the Heartbeat Campaign should be welcomed because they can only serve to benefit the industry . ’ |
| 13 | Israeli officials reacted angrily to the suggestion , claiming that a UN presence in the territories would only serve to inflame the situation . |
| 14 | The antecedents may serve to initiate the behaviour which can then be reinforced by the consequences . |
| 15 | I KNOW THAT I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DIE until have met Morrissey , but I know that letters from males who are similar ( mentally and/or physically ) to this object of infatuation will serve to lessen the pain . |
| 16 | First , sub-divisions would only serve to create the appearance of a more precisely demarcated critical field than is in fact the case . |
| 17 | Blocking your feelings will only serve to restrict the way to talk with a partner or someone else important to you . |
| 18 | This is not to suggest that consistency is an unworthy value : the argument is rather that there is a need to decide upon the categories to which the argument of consistency is being applied , and above all to recognize that simple resort to the allegation of inconsistency might serve to conceal the conflict between a number of social interests or principles . |
| 19 | An adult 's constant blaming of another can also be heard as the angry protest of the deprived internal infant within that adult body , and when it turns to whining , may also serve to express the yearning and become an attempt to control the whereabouts of the other . |
| 20 | First , the build up of calcium may serve to sensitize the receptor as discussed earlier . |
| 21 | This is very important because the act of cutting usually has immediate effects on tension and is also likely to evoke responses from other people which may serve to strengthen the urge to cut . |
| 22 | The time out , once it has been experienced , can serve to strengthen the CB because its absence can be rewarding . |
| 23 | North Merseyside was dismissed immediately as existing staff would be unlikely to wish to relocate to the area and it was felt such a location would not serve to enhance the company 's recruitment image . |
| 24 | A further suggestion is that exposure to the context alone given after exposure to the target stimulus will result not only in extinction of context-stimulus associations but may also serve to attenuate the rate with which associations are forgotten . |
| 25 | Other products are seasonal in nature and a mailing or delivery of samples can serve to draw the attention of magazines with short lead times to the current availability of the product . |
| 26 | The advertising jingles and the emphasis on celebration and even the goodwill of the local carol singers did nothing but serve to underline the emptiness of the season without the presence of his own family . |
| 27 | Just give you one example if I may erm which erm will serve to underline the sort of points that I 've been making erm to you . |
| 28 | This too may merely serve to let the situation spiral out of control . |
| 29 | Yet , provided the regional distinction is borne firmly in mind , the work of both groups may serve to illuminate the debate over the prospects of social stability in the countryside . |
| 30 | Because this cake mixture uses baking powder to make it rise rather than gradual incorporation of air while beating , make sure you do not overbeat the mixture or add more than the specified amount of baking powder — this would only serve to toughen the cake and make it heavy . |