Example sentences of "could [vb infin] been [art] [adj] [noun] " in BNC.

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1 You could 've been a real trendsetter , you could 've put Ghostbuster stripes on it
2 In particular Donal Lunny 's assured production allows for moments of rain-washed clarity in what could 've been a groggy hotchpotch .
3 The perspective may not have developed antagonistic elements to the extent to which , at a generalised level , it could have been a genuine challenge to extant political power , but the populism did articulate working-class interests and demands assertively and independently .
4 He is , he said my mother said she could have been a forensic scientist if it ha if I had n't been born !
5 In the south-west bath-wing there was a central room with a small cistern and niches for presumed ‘ ritual usages ’ ; from this room came a pottery model fir-cone , which could have been a votive offering .
6 It could have been a personal call , but Doyle 's sixth sense for trouble was registering so strongly , that he did n't even bother to hope .
7 Apparently she had a severe allergic reaction to the drug , although it could have been a lethal impurity in the tab she took .
8 But as the plane taxied along the runway at Praia airport and I looked out on what could have been a simulated view from a lunar module , I sensed how daunting the task would be .
9 Then I realized I was kneeling on a tarpaulin which someone had carefully placed over what could have been a small metal gate — or — the detached ‘ fun bumper ’ cow-catcher device from a small four-wheel-drive vehicle , say , a Shogun .
10 It could have been a crushing disappointment for Tip Anderson , with the Championship staged over his home course ; instead it turned into a remarkable and spectacular success .
11 If the United States had not been able to run a deficit to finance the investment abroad , one response could have been a lower value of the dollar , more competitive exports and a sufficient trade surplus to finance the overseas investment .
12 One conclusion is that Vietnam could have been a proud success , and would have been were it not for , e.g. , the political constraints on the military .
13 Could have been a bloody waste of time .
14 Blake thought the burning incense could have been a hallucinogenic drug which was altering his perception .
15 The premature end to what could have been a professional ballet career meant that Carol at least had more time to devote to the blossoming courtship with a young accountant , Ron Minogue .
16 But Magda ze Schluderpacheru was better than the other madams , the Silver Shuriken could have been a nice place with a little work .
17 It could have been a close call . ’
18 There could have been a serious road accident with a dozen or so frightened animals careering about country lanes .
19 This act is hardly likely to have endeared the chiefs to the Roman cause , especially if all the money had been spent , and could have been a deciding factor in the hardening of the changing attitudes in some of the royal households .
20 It could have been a glorious finale , but it was n't .
21 The British government over the water could have been a million miles away ( for detailed accounts see Arthur 1984 ; Buckland 1979 ; Farrell 1976 ; for a summary see McAllister 1983 ; for a summary of all forms of discrimination adopted , see Whyte 1983 ; Hillyard 1983 ) .
22 Could have been a million miles away .
23 If it had n't rained the night before the car was burnt , there could have been a major forest fire .
24 In retrospect , she said , the Budget could have been a great deal worse for disabled people considering what issues had been bandied about in the media recently .
25 He had to sing properly in Zarewitsch and one was reminded yet again that he could have been a great singer if only he had tried .
26 ‘ You could have been a great cabinet maker , ’ she told him .
27 With a bit more Imsak , this could have been a great book .
28 Jim Keeble recalls one amusing incident in ASF which could have been a terrible accident .
29 Nothing could have been a greater contrast to the Hamptons — where miles and miles of unspoilt coastline and white sands edged the rugged Atlantic Ocean .
30 There could have been a greater degree of specialization , but this has been avoided here in order to emphasise the collaborative nature of many of the specialisms to be found in the production function .
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