Example sentences of "it [was/were] merely a [noun] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | If it were merely a matter of eloquence , or energy or conviction , the education system , like other male institutions , would have been transformed by women already . |
| 2 | If it were merely a handful of Irish psychopaths against us , they might be foiled by a piece of pasteboard with a photograph and some numbers stamped on it . |
| 3 | Four fences out , Llewellyn made his move , and from the next it was merely a question of whether Party Politics could hold on or whether Romany King could peg him back . |
| 4 | Providing you had memorised the five scale patterns and the associated chord shape for each one , it was merely a question of finding the chord shape in whatever key/position was required , and the appropriate scale fingering would follow . |
| 5 | It was n't a matter of if they would return ; it was merely a question of when . |
| 6 | It was merely a framework of broken , blonde walls , barely knee-high , like the shaft of a huge well , a shell withdrawn into a corner of the great room . |
| 7 | Of course , there was no business plan for opening in the US ; it was merely a dream , long nurtured by Bernard . |
| 8 | While the mortality rate at Rendcomb was high , it was merely a preparation for what pilots could expect to face in France . |
| 9 | It was merely a shell with glittering branches at the best addresses in London . |
| 10 | It makes me wonder just how long it 's been going on , or if it was merely a way to get Calder out of an awkward situation . ’ |
| 11 | No one was sure whether he had deliberately set a trap , or whether it was merely a chance remark that brought about such astounding results . |
| 12 | It was merely a passage ( sufficiently relevant to be acceptable to the judge as a subject of cross-examination ) that could be used to raise doubts in the minds of those in Court as to your ability to pronounce on the matter under trial . |
| 13 | To him it was merely a challenge — a focus for his twisted genius . |
| 14 | The question has to be asked , however , if this was due to the activities of the ECSC or if it was merely a consequence of the sustained economic boom which affected the whole of Western Europe . |
| 15 | Wothorpe House , because of its ruinous state , its unusual design and its proximity to the site of Wothorpe nunnery , is also a victim of such mythology , but it was merely a dower house for widows of the earls and marquesses at Burghley . |
| 16 | In those early days , that last week of June , it was merely a matter of raising enough money . |
| 17 | The Soviet Union saw no need to remain in military terms and appears to have thought it was merely a matter of time before communism was extended to the southern half of the peninsula . |
| 18 | I told him the letter had been posted on to you and it was merely a matter of time before you got it . ’ |
| 19 | It was merely a matter of time and I knew it . |
| 20 | Er indeed the directive was promulgated as the minister said but I do n't think it was a bolt out of the blue , it was of course something that we around for some considerable time before that and of course that excuse hardly applies to the delay in establishing the European parliamentary constituency committees , er as the minister er will know very well , it was merely a matter of seven weeks , er the excuse being that had they had another seven weeks they could have had the public inquiry stage , the reality of course was that there was plenty of time to do this in good time and in good order and without the confusion that exists now er around the candidatures and the boundaries of the existing European boundaries . |
| 21 | It was merely a process of putting out delicate feelers , testing the winds and establishing a rough but workable scenario to contain the plot . |
| 22 | It was merely a pattern , a repetition . |
| 23 | But it was merely a postponement . |
| 24 | Beth , however , was determined that she should enjoy a more stable position , with a regular wage ; though even she had to agree that it was merely a pittance . |
| 25 | It was merely a figure of speech ; you need have no fear that I 'll creep along in the early hours to take advantage of your defenceless body . ’ |
| 26 | For Annabel , it was merely a means of filling in time before she starts rehearsals for her starring role in Cinderella in Norwich this month , when she appears with Gary Webster , of Minder , dancer Lionel Blair , and ‘ a lady from Teabag ’ , whose name she could n't remember . |
| 27 | However , the court agreed with the views expressed obiter by another division of the court in the case of Emerson ( 1990 ) 92 Cr.App.R. 284 ; where a transcript was provided it was merely a means of presenting the exhibit , which was the tape itself , to the court : if the jury wished to hear the tape rather than rely on the written transcript , there was no proper reason why they should not be allowed to do so . |
| 28 | ‘ I mean it was merely a study of kinship , ’ he added , seeing before him now the outraged faces of his colleagues at his letting the side down by describing such work as ‘ nothing much , really ’ . |