Example sentences of "had been [v-ing] for a " in BNC.
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1 | The foundation of a national Board of Education signalled the acceptance within the official culture of a need for policies that would co-ordinate an efficient and fully national system of education , and also allowed the voices of dons who had been calling for a transformation of the traditional curriculum to carry more weight than ever before . |
2 | Well they were , the ward committee had been seeking for a , a candidate , but I had no opposition at that time at all . |
3 | Obviously a tall , long-legged person will need a big horse ; I recently sold a 17.3hh gelding to a man of six foot eight who had been looking for a long time ! |
4 | He had been looking for a place to live . |
5 | If I had been looking for a lover — I admit my husband 's fortunes were not at their brightest , and my friendship with the Philosopher was a little turbulent at that time — then I should not have chosen Gustave . |
6 | The health authority had been looking for a site since 1989 but found difficulty in obtaining suitable premises in terms of locality , accessibility and size of ground floor accommodation . |
7 | I had been looking for a full-length piece to do anyway and I was also attracted to the idea of working with a ballet company . ’ |
8 | If Philip had been looking for a pale , sickly , ragged and possibly fettered prisoner , Harry would be a considerable shock to him . |
9 | The victim was slumped over a freezer where he had been searching for a gas leak . |
10 | When I was eighteen I came in contact with the Catholic Crusade which was a rather left wing Christian Socialist Organization and I found that their attitude to problems contained the answers for which I had been searching for a good many years tell me when you want me to raise something . |
11 | He seemed eager to talk , as if he had been searching for a listener for some time . |
12 | The sightseers on the banks of the river , who , sensing something afoot , had been gathering for a few hours , dodged about , seeking a view between bushes . |
13 | Fifty miles south-west of the railway line bomb , 13 Platoon of 6 UDR reported in for duty at 0600 ; they had been hoping for a quiet day , in order to catch up on some training . |
14 | France had been hoping for a Kinnock victory , to provide a second socialist power in one of the leading EC countries to act as an ally for President Mitterrand at summit talks . |
15 | The embattled Chancellor had been hoping for a public show of loyalty from the Prime Minister . |
16 | She had been hoping for a ‘ jobs Budget ’ to fulfil a great need in East Anglia where there had been a big increase in unemployment . |
17 | I know Martinho had been hoping for a religious programme . |
18 | Sophie 's voice dipped in disappointment , as if she had been hoping for a graphic account of overturned furniture and blood on the walls . |
19 | I had been trying for a year to obtain some black Amazon wood for my Discus tank , but my local dealers did not stock it . |
20 | Dawn , 30 , who suffered from blocked tubes , and John , 32 , had been trying for a baby for nine years . |
21 | Dr Simon Newell , in charge of the neonatal unit , said the couple had been trying for a baby for seven years and Mrs Vince had been undergoing fertility treatment for five years . |
22 | Mr and Mrs Allen had been trying for a child for 19 years and were overjoyed when Laura was born . |
23 | As the door closed , Zen let out a breath he realized he had been holding for a long time . |
24 | Howard had , after a quick tour of the TARDIS , retired to his office with a brandy bottle he had been saving for a special occasion . |
25 | The Managing Director of the IMF , Michel Camdessus , had been lobbying for a doubling of quotas and other members had argued in favour of a two-thirds increase . |
26 | She 'd moved over by the window and had been reaching for a chair , but now she stopped . |
27 | My ‘ heavenly brother ’ was not a Sasse boy , but from the primary school in nearby Mutengene mission where I had been staying for a few days . |
28 | One fishing vessel that we had been watching for a long period had more than one narrow escape from detection by British controls , but was finally turned back by Dutch customs patrols shortly after leaving a Continental port with a cargo of immigrants on board bound for the UK . |
29 | I 'd have to buy an electric boiler to replace the gas one which had been leaking for a week now . |
30 | AAIB investigation showed that the main rotor drive had been running for a period with the chain displaced downwards on the large sprocket ( ie.e in the axial direction of the sprocket ) approximately half a tooth . |