Example sentences of "these [was/were] a [noun sg] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
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| 1 | These were a survival from his army days and , therefore , some way from being sexually provocative . |
| 2 | Like many questions which the police were obliged to put , these were a formality , it being clear that the bargeowners could n't answer them . |
| 3 | Large caverns had been fitted out as barracks and guard room , and these were a hive of activity as the base personnel stumbled from their beds to snatch weapons , rushing into the tunnels half-dressed . |
| 4 | Some of the wealthier peasants undoubtedly prospered , rising in rank to become yeomen or even gentry in the sixteenth century , but these were a minority . |
| 5 | But these were a minority , and when the question of a postwar American loan to Britain arose later in 1945 US Congressmen were quick to ask why the United States should subsidize " too much Socialism at home and too much damned imperialism abroad " . |
| 6 | Even rewards such as these were a shade oblique for those who expected a direct return upon money invested . |
| 7 | So it seems to me that these were a set of circumstances trying to overcome the previous bad situation which has applied . |
| 8 | Among these were a number of scions of William the Conqueror 's knights whose descendants were to wield great influence in Scotland 's tumultuous history : Bernard de Bailleul ( later Balliol ) ; Robert de Brus ( Bruce or ‘ the Bruce ’ ) ; and Walter FitzAlan , who became hereditary Steward of Scotland , a title leading ultimately to the name and royal family of Stewart . |
| 9 | We received a verbal report to say these were a start but needed more detail . |
| 10 | But these were a cut above the ordinary . |
| 11 | To walk the overgrown towpath to Branson 's barge , bang your head as you descended the small , brass-railed ladder and step over the pile of nappies ; to be served stir-fried vegetables and noodles , fresh orange juice and Perrier ; to be treated to a private exposition of what were becoming the most famous teeth in the record industry — to attain these was a sign that a group was truly regarded as important . |
| 12 | The youngest of these was a girl of six ; the other 's ranged up to the age of 12 , after which it seems , they were regarded as adult . |
| 13 | Cos we had Linekars , course they 've gone out of business , but when he came , when the boss came to this one he reckoned one of these was a bit out did n't he ? |
| 14 | The most recent of these was a campaign in which we visited schools , producing tapes with the children on subjects such as drugs , smoking and the environment . |
| 15 | Among these was a plan to cut the amount of personal income tax withheld by employers during the year . |
| 16 | My favourite of these was a boy of ten or so , called Clint , with a black greasy quiff of hair . |
| 17 | Amongst these was a Guide for Teachers which was sent to every secondary school teacher in Scotland . |
| 18 | Above these was a cluster of meters , fuse-boxes and power-switches . |
| 19 | The Royal Air Force always had two salaried artists at any one time , and one of these was a portraitist . |
| 20 | Each of the problems that beset Gorbachev — the shrinking authority of the Communist Party , the military discontent , nationalist clamour , the dogged demands of the Balts for the return of their stolen countries — each of these was a crisis in its own right ; but each was overshadowed by , and interconnected with , the failure of the economy and shortage of food , the failure of government . |
| 21 | None of these was a confounder or mediator of the relation between grade and sickness absence . |
| 22 | But the largest of these was a group made up of assorted Yugoslav military formations , mainly Slovenes and Serbs , who had retreated over the Harawanken Alps from Slovenia on 7 May , together with German units , the White Russian Schutzkorps , camp followers and civilian refugees . |
| 23 | One of these was a matter of internal consistency . |
| 24 | But the Law Lords unanimously decided that he was obliged to have regard only to ‘ material considerations ’ and that the amount of weight to be given to these was a matter for his judgment . |