Example sentences of "[noun] but for the fact [conj] " in BNC.
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| 1 | It is also worth bearing in mind another old saw , which would n't be an old saw but for the fact that it is proved by practice : Oppositions do not win elections ; governments lose them . |
| 2 | ‘ Where , in the case of any fishing vessel , the Secretary of State is satisfied that — ( a ) the vessel would be eligible to be registered as a British fishing vessel but for the fact that any particular individual , or ( as the case may be ) each of a number of particular individuals , is not a British citizen ( and is accordingly not a qualified person ) , and ( b ) it would be appropriate to dispense with the requirement of British citizenship in the case of that individual or those individuals , in view of the length of time he has or they have resided in the United Kingdom and been involved in the fishing industry of the United Kingdom , the Secretary of State may determine that that requirement should be so dispensed with ; and , if he does so , the vessel shall , so long as paragraph ( a ) above applies to it and any such determination remains in force , be treated for the purposes of this Part as eligible to be registered as a British fishing vessel . |
| 3 | I doubt whether the legend of Dom Pérignon would necessarily have survived to this day but for the fact that the Abbey of Hautvillers , where he devoted his life to the perfection of wine , happened to be in Champagne . |
| 4 | The mouth is stretched in what would be a howl but for the fact that no air is passing . |
| 5 | One could almost imagine oneself back into the Middle Ages but for the fact that technology has marched on through the centuries to replace rough-hewn bows of Yew with fibreglass ones , equipped with very advanced sights . |
| 6 | This might have been a drawback of such accounts but for the fact that linguistic accounts understood in accord with the current consensus among analytic philosophers either are not possible or lack any philosophical interest . |
| 7 | For example , detaining a child would be false imprisonment but for the fact that the law permits a teacher to carry out a reasonable punishment . |
| 8 | They would have been chewing the carpet but for the fact that the floor was concrete . |