| No | Pattern | Freq | Relations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | were [v-ing] [prep] the [noun] | 1493 |
|
| 2 | were [v-ing] [prep] the [noun sg] | 1181 |
|
| 3 | were [v-ing] in the [noun] | 252 |
|
| 4 | were [v-ing] [prep] the [noun pl] | 221 |
|
| 5 | were [v-ing] on the [noun] | 213 |
|
| 6 | were [v-ing] at the [noun] | 147 |
|
| 7 | were [v-ing] to the [noun] | 114 |
|
| 8 | were [v-ing] for the [noun] | 98 |
|
| 9 | were [v-ing] [prep] the [noun prp] | 86 |
|
| 10 | were standing [prep] the [noun] | 85 |
|
| 11 | were sitting [prep] the [noun] | 79 |
|
| 12 | were [v-ing] from the [noun] | 70 |
|
| 13 | were [v-ing] about the [noun] | 62 |
|
| 14 | were [v-ing] into the [noun] | 59 |
|
| 15 | were [v-ing] with the [noun] | 54 |
|
| 16 | were working [prep] the [noun] | 54 |
|
| 17 | were looking [prep] the [noun] | 54 |
|
| 18 | were [v-ing] through the [noun] | 49 |
|
| 19 | were walking [prep] the [noun] | 49 |
|
| 20 | were coming [prep] the [noun] | 44 |
|
| 21 | were going [prep] the [noun] | 44 |
|
| 22 | were waiting [prep] the [noun] | 43 |
|
| 23 | were talking [prep] the [noun] | 42 |
|
| 24 | were [v-ing] by the [noun] | 36 |
|
| 25 | were [v-ing] along the [noun] | 31 |
|
| 26 | were [v-ing] over the [noun] | 31 |
|
| 27 | were [v-ing] towards the [noun] | 30 |
|
| 28 | were moving [prep] the [noun] | 29 |
|
| 29 | were [v-ing] round the [noun] | 27 |
|
| 30 | were [v-ing] against the [noun] | 27 |
|
