Example sentences of "[vb past] [pers pn] could [verb] [noun] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | While I was on bail and Stephen was still with foster parents , they promised I could have Stephen for Christmas . |
| 2 | I thanked my lucky stars for Twelve French Poets , the A-level syllabus , and our rectangular French teacher , who was so thorough that I found I could discuss symbolism and synaesthesia without batting an eyelid . |
| 3 | From that moment Tess found she could whistle tunes to the birds just as Mrs d'Urberville wanted . |
| 4 | And pretended she could hear gulls mewing and the squeak of sand under the balls of her feet and the rhythm of wings . |
| 5 | Oliver said , ‘ We 're going to play sardines , you promised we could play sardines … ’ |
| 6 | When I got rid of fear I found we could make friends . |
| 7 | ‘ Anyway , this Satanist promised he could make things fly . |
| 8 | Hitch maintained he could stop buses with his head ( and frequently did ) . |
| 9 | But he was the first grown-up person who assumed I could discuss ideas . |
| 10 | Was she insane , that she imagined she could force people to bend to her will in this arbitrary fashion ? |
| 11 | Goram said : ‘ Not many people in England believed we could beat Leeds and I do n't suppose there are many Frenchmen who think we can beat Marseille either . |
| 12 | They believed they could win votes in Sunderland just as surely as in Mid-Sussex . |
| 13 | Personal computer makers are likely to face continued pressure to keep prices low for the foreseeable future , former Compaq Computer Corp chief Rod Canion told Reuter in an interview : ‘ Anybody that wants to be successful in the computer business better be prepared to be very aggressive and have a lot of aggressive competition — in that environment , you can predict pricing pressure is not going to ease up ; ’ Canion , now chairman of the Houston-based consulting firm Insource Management Group , says that in his time at Compaq , customers were willing to pay a little more to ensure they got quality and performance but that as the market changed , they believed they could get quality , performance and low price , and now , ‘ that will never change . ’ |
| 14 | Serota , who danced with the Royal Ballet ( as Angela Beveridge ) , persuaded Bruce to apply for the position of artistic director because she believed he could restore Rambert to the forefront of British dance . |
| 15 | ‘ His victims genuinely believed he could obtain goods at cheaper prices than they got from their usual outlets . |
| 16 | Asked about possible acquisitions , Lord Blakenham singled out educational , medical , professional and children 's book publishing as areas in which Pearson was strong , and where the group believed it could achieve expansion through both organic growth and acquisitions . |
| 17 | He needed a bath and quickly , he imagined he could smell smoke and the sour stench of sweat from his skin . |
| 18 | He felt an urge to reach out and rescue some of the sheets of paper on which he imagined he could see writing , but the heat was extreme . |
| 19 | All the same , her protests went unheeded , and each day that passed she could see Matthew becoming more and more influenced by old Luther . |
| 20 | In almost anything that happened I could find guilt and apply it to myself . |
| 21 | During her progression through these ministries in Paris , she showed she could fight France 's corner with steely resolution . |
| 22 | However , the Stuarts claimed they could raise money by means of the prerogative . |
| 23 | In the early 1900s buyers of firms guessed they could raise cash flows through economies of scale and by limiting competition . |
| 24 | Charles reckoned he could take advantage of her lethargic state to push a bit further . |
| 25 | Dozens of French companies , for example , discovered they could raise money that acts like capital but enjoys the tax break granted to debt through ‘ instantly repackaged perpetual securities ’ . |
| 26 | He claims dissident soldiers did n't have the ability to launch a coup , but he warned they could mount attacks against government officers and business establishments to cripple the economy . |
| 27 | Today I felt I could leave things no longer , so I had a word with a colleague in the Home Office . |
| 28 | I felt I could ask questions , I felt she would n't mind . |
| 29 | ‘ I knew I could beat Robin Reid , who qualified for the Olympics , and I just hope that winning the title will show the selectors they have made a big mistake . ’ |
| 30 | I thought I could bestow beauty |