Example sentences of "[was/were] a [noun sg] of " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | Over the whole of Russia there-was a dearth of agricultural goods caused mainly by the Famine , and a comparative glut of industrial products from the towns . |
| 2 | There wuz a bit of trouble outside the school gates when Sinead O'Connor said she was n't coming on the trip because she disapproved of buzzes and then she got on and took the best seat , ie the one at the back where me and Graham normally sit and smoke No6 . |
| 3 | Seen in feudal terms , the Crusades were a defence of the Lord 's rights to which , in all loyalty , all Christians should contribute , either personally or in other ways . |
| 4 | There were the Lucas boys with their model railway , there were a couple of evacuees with their mothers , there was a German Jewess refugee with her adopted child , there was a friend who lived with them and helped at a school and her children were in and out a lot . |
| 5 | There were a couple of things that I 've never seen anywhere since , relics of Victorian engineering . |
| 6 | There were a couple of people already in there , sitting at a table near the counter . |
| 7 | There were a couple of queues out into the street for toiletries . |
| 8 | There were a couple of diggers far out . |
| 9 | Specialists in the property sector said there were a couple of aggressive attempts to sell large lines of both MEPC and also Hammerson ‘ A ’ ( down 25 at 330p ) first thing yesterday . |
| 10 | Nothing came along immediately and ahead were a couple of lean years . |
| 11 | They spent that first night of their return to public life just standing close together in silence , like they were a couple of lovers ; but they were n't , of course , not yet . |
| 12 | John 's only choreographic activities at Covent Garden that first season were a couple of tiny opera-ballets , in Rigoletto and The Mastersingers which made no great impression . |
| 13 | They were a couple of sharp boys , his nephews , especially Sean . |
| 14 | When I ran back to the girl , there were a couple of railwaymen on their way to work and another policeman carrying her to the Out-patients . |
| 15 | If you were a couple of minutes late , you had to go down and see the superintendent . |
| 16 | They were a couple of originals , Sheila and Matthew . |
| 17 | Thornbury was fast becoming a dormitory town for nearby Bristol , but there were a couple of decent pubs there . |
| 18 | Joe always made sure there were a couple of swings rigged up to the spreaded branches for the children to enjoy . |
| 19 | They were a couple of travelling hedgers and ditchers who were currently working at Bakers Farm down by the river . |
| 20 | He had felt an affinity with the brothers because they were a couple of hard nuts , but he had also found they had definite criminal tendencies . |
| 21 | There were a couple of smart hairdressers : one said , Restyling — this week only £12.50 . |
| 22 | And now all around her winos and tramps , assorted bums ; for there were a couple of doss-houses and a tent-hall not far away . |
| 23 | As the other tourists sipped port by the river and watched the sunset , following our currency episode earlier in the day and failure to find an open bank we had to count out our escudos , only to find that we all could afford were a couple of beers . |
| 24 | And there were a couple of skinheads with their girls , in brogues , Levi 's , Crombies and braces . |
| 25 | Once they were a couple of miles from the Manor , where the woods were at their most impenetrable , she reined in Moonbeam and drew to a halt in a little glade . |
| 26 | There were a couple of numbers in the set where we could stretch out if we wanted to , but we did manage to keep a nice , loose feel in everything . ’ |
| 27 | ‘ But there were a couple of makers who settled in Hawaii , and one of them was a Portuguese called Nuniads . |
| 28 | There were a couple of problems . |
| 29 | Clipped onto his harness were a couple of screw-gate crabs , some RPs and a small camming-device — just the rack required for an overhanging fist jam crack . |
| 30 | ‘ That 's why there were a couple of early hiccups and it took a while to settle in . |