Example sentences of "what [modal v] have been [adj] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | Brady was yesterday reluctant to say too much on the subject of his meeting with some board members , but it was obvious that the details of what ought to have been private business becoming public knowledge had disturbed the manager . |
| 2 | There are several references to what may have been congenital syphilis . |
| 3 | Herbs are cast into the fire by the Lady of the Flowers in lieu of what may have been gory sacrifices by our sun-worshipping ancestors . |
| 4 | Singer ( 1958 ) , in a critique of the Boskop Skull which was discovered in 1913 on a Transvaal farm , points out that what may have been justifiable speculation at the beginning of the century is inexcusable now . |
| 5 | This was the site of what must have been one of the longest running water disputes in molinological history . |
| 6 | Charles Kingsley , writing of the final destruction of the Fens , was perhaps the first to regret the loss of what must have been one of the finest natural systems in Europe . |
| 7 | Corbett then spent what must have been one of the most miserable nights he had ever experienced . |
| 8 | Having addressed the President and the Congress , and having conducted what must have been one of the first lecture tours of the United States , Owen set up a village of Co-operation at New Harmony , in Indiana . |
| 9 | Yet recently Dr Hsu of Zurich has suggested that they record what must have been one of the most spectacular incidents in earth history . |
| 10 | Lady Street had returned to what must have been normal for any morning at this time ; the delivery vans had gone , there was sporadic traffic in the one-way street , and people had no time to stand about gawping at the bookshop though they slowed their pace in passing and tried to look in without appearing to do so . |
| 11 | A hook solved the initial problem , then a long , unprotected traverse ( great fun seconding ! ) led to more blank wall and what must have been some truly desperate leading . |
| 12 | Mr Moran resisted what must have been considerable temptation to rebuke Grobbelaar in a manner similar to Mr Souness 's outburst after the recent defeat at Sheffield United . |
| 13 | He was third , but only 3000 behind the winner and almost put in the Liberal in what should have been one of the safest Conservative seats in the country . |
| 14 | TVR has pulled off what should have been impossible . |
| 15 | A contractor could use the actual performance when not working under claim conditions to establish what should have been foreseeable . |
| 16 | What should have been three comfy nights in a five-star hotel with en-suite jacuzzis turns into a full-blooded , mud-covered fight for survival . |
| 17 | The ability of this young quartet to present two works from such different worlds so convincingly , led one to expect that Dvorak 's American quartet would be a powerful experience ; but what might have been hot-blooded came over as an indoor gypsy — more pretty than potent . |
| 18 | What might have been first visualised as a basic low cost word processor might have transformed into a full blown all bells and whistles application that has spreadsheets and databases built in , yet , if you 're still using the first release , you could be losing out . |
| 19 | This , on reflection , is interesting : it reveals quite sharply what might have been apparent earlier — that this particular decision rule is of a rather simpler structure than the optimal output rule . |
| 20 | ‘ You sure you do n't mind me talking about your sister ? ’ he said slowly , with what might have been some sort of smile on his face . |
| 21 | Derek seems to remember that it was shortly after this change that a couple of what could have been nasty instances occurred . |
| 22 | What was , what could have been wrong about that ? |
| 23 | At 3:1 United were cruising again and the Manor Ground fans must have been thinking what could have been this season if there had been more games like this . |
| 24 | Methodically , meticulously , he studied every aspect of Kylie 's talent and music before committing himself to what would have been one of the most ambitious projects even he had attempted . |
| 25 | Campese 's decision robbed 60,000 in the stadium , and countless millions around the world , of what would have been one of the most intense and fascinating finales to the World Cup , with England only three points behind , their heads up and winning score in sight . |
| 26 | Skin the turkey breast and lay it what would have been skin-side down on the table . |
| 27 | My naïveté , my lack of experience , may have protected me from what would have been obvious to anyone else . |
| 28 | What would have been evident to them , of course , is the first premiss ; so , although Berkeley 's surprising conclusion follows validly from his three premisses , these are not all equally acceptable both to the ‘ philosophers ’ and to the common sense of the ‘ vulgar ’ . |