Example sentences of "if only [prep] a " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
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| 1 | If only as a joke , to tell people at home when we get back . ’ |
| 2 | If used strictly according to recommendations , chemical treatments have their place , if only as a last resort for serious threats . |
| 3 | It was funny , in a Lewis Carroll sort of way , and at least the result was passable , if only as a trade magazine , whereas the woman 's magazine had been beyond a joke and she could not bear to look at the end product . |
| 4 | These passions are disinterested , in the sense that they excite me to help or harm you as in yourself attractive or repulsive to me , irrespective of further advantage to myself ; they treat you not as means but as end , if only as a negative end . |
| 5 | At least three of these cars would have been useful to Leeds , when the remainder were sold to them , if only as a source of spare parts . |
| 6 | Another audio item which need take up little room is an extension microphone — useful if only as a means of eliminating the pick-up of camcorder operating noise in quiet conditions if this happens to be a weakness of your machine . |
| 7 | The implications of these facts should be obvious and the status of chimpanzees as a threatened species is a powerful consideration in favour of banning their use in the laboratory , if only as a remedial measure , despite the pressures of the AIDS lobby . |
| 8 | While idealization of , or sentimentality about , the way of life of primitive peoples must be avoided , there seems to be no doubt that among the Siberian peoples in their original state a certain harmony with nature existed , if only as a reflection of the unavoidable conditions in which they lived . |
| 9 | Alexander the Great also found Greek culture valuable if only as a way of patronizing his Macedonian peers : he remarked to a Greek fellow-feaster ( Plutarch Alex . |
| 10 | Not that he did n't know its history — he had been part of it , if only as a silent witness of his brothers ' refusal to join the Fenian organisation which had started trying to recruit the young men of their day . |
| 11 | It occurs to me , being in this place at this time with no sign of an approaching end to the Kaffir war and all things uncertain , that it may be of interest to record the passages of everyday life if only as a source of remembrance and reflection in later years . |
| 12 | Still , he removed himself , if only as a gesture . |
| 13 | Even though she almost wholly accepted who Tammuz was , if only as an abstract , she still found it very difficult to look upon him as her father in flesh and blood . |
| 14 | The pattern must suggest a capacity to continue after the violation , if only as an echo . |
| 15 | Second , the trade-union movement continued to grow while the Labour Party established itself ( if only as an adjunct of Liberalism ) , and as both institutions were significant expressions of sectional interests , they created apprehension among the political authorities . |
| 16 | In the theatre , stage lighting varies in brightness , but it is often sufficient for video recording purposes , even if only as an aid to rehearsals . |
| 17 | Yet , in the context of the long-standing dispute of Aquitaine , Edward III 's claim was strong enough to persuade him that he ought to pursue it , if only as an alternative means of achieving sovereign rule in Aquitaine . |
| 18 | The advantages of exemption can be easily seen , if only as an illustration of the de minimis principle . |
| 19 | The time demanded in maintaining roses is not great , it does not mean a number of hours or days a week , but it does mean a regular tour around , if only of a few minutes ' duration , perhaps in the evenings , with secateurs in hand to snip or prune away faded flowers , and a puff or spray here and there as and when you find aphids or other pests . |
| 20 | The petty bourgeoisie of shopkeepers and self-employed tradesmen needed to keep accounts even if only of a primitive kind , but the growing fraction of permanent journeymen among the artisans grew into a more literate as well as more skilled elite section of the labouring classes . |
| 21 | Furthermore , Regan 's incompetent researchers ought not to get to first base , at least under present UK regulations , for they would have been required to state objectives , if only of an ‘ advancement of knowledge ’ , which the assessors would judge to be significant enough to outweigh any proposed harm ( under 5.4 ) to the animals at risk . |
| 22 | The politician is the organ of society for having its cake and eating it , for escaping , if only for a moment , if only through a form of art — art is , after all , a means of escape — from the grimness of reality , from this grim fact that you ca n't have the cake and eat it , that you ca n't have public expenditure increased in excess of the rate of increase of the national product , unless private claims are correspondingly surrendered . |
| 23 | Once in the hides , sentries had been posted to protect the company positions , and many of the men took the opportunity to get some rest , if only for a few minutes . |
| 24 | We men , we know not what loftiness we might reach if only for a few small hours we could by carefulness of life , morally and physically so exact ourselves that scarce any utmost purity of air were too perfect for us . |
| 25 | Mungo could not explain why but he felt a sense of release at being out of the village , if only for a short time . |
| 26 | Some diets are not successful at all but some are , even if only for a short time . |
| 27 | When the slings and arrows of outrageous everyday life buffet our heads , we escape to Assynt , even if only for a long weekend , and always return refreshed , perspective regained . |
| 28 | If a killer thinks , even if only for a split second , that it is face to face with an owl or an eagle , it is very likely to back away and this may give the harmless bluffer enough time to escape . |
| 29 | These days the ladies will ride if only for a few hundred yards . |
| 30 | The boy was almost sure to have been home at intervals , if only for a change of clothing . |