Example sentences of "can [not/n't] [verb] [pron] [noun sg] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
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| 1 | They can not match our record of ten defeats in a row , having staged something of a revival with three straight victories . |
| 2 | But they can not match our repertoire … we 'll stoop to anything if that 's your bent … |
| 3 | We can not achieve your release yet . |
| 4 | You are encouraged to participate in any Group or ‘ local ’ schemes such as recycling initiatives , since , without involvement from everyone , and a general recognition that we are all responsible for protection of the environment , we can not achieve our Group objective . |
| 5 | a friendly giant who can not speak our language ( but we have to explain to him/her how dangerous s/he is ) |
| 6 | For example , the capital letters of " How Do You Like London " might suggest a number of phonetic factors abnormal loudness , slow-motion delivery , stressing of every syllable — all expressive of the proverbial Englishman 's assumption that those who can not speak his language as a native are deaf or stupid , or both . |
| 7 | The prediction is indeed borne out ; contrast ( 13 ) and ( 14 ) : ( 13 ) a total one the mere one ( 14 ) a rudimentary one the deciduous one Even when we can not tell what sort of being or object is designated by one in examples like ( 14 ) , they will still be grammatically acceptable unlike the anomalous phrases in ( 13 ) . |
| 8 | On grounds of theory alone we can not tell which effect will be the stronger , i.e. whether higher taxes on income will raise or lower the time devoted to work rather than leisure ( where , of course , the worker has some choice ) . |
| 9 | If we can not tell our love to them , then there will be no vision or angels or heavenly choirs over the hill country beyond the window of these islands this Christmas . |
| 10 | Because Hector 's dolphins can not hold their breath for long and dives rarely exceed 2 minutes ( compared with up to 8 minutes for a bottlenose dolphin ) , entanglement in a set-net is usually fatal . |
| 11 | But in the worst-case scenario , if the heir to the throne can not hold his marriage together , there could be no throne left for him , or his eldest son , to inherit . |
| 12 | Lord Denning has written that the whole of the English law of criminal negligence , and indeed the biggest change in civil law this century , derives from the commandment to love thy neighbour enunciated by Lord Atkins in 1932 , when he ruled that , even if a man can not love his neighbour , he must still refrain from harming him , and that in law his neighbour was anyone who was so closely and directly affected by his actions that he ought to have had that in mind when he acted . |
| 13 | But I can not abandon my identity now as I did so freely in those days of my youth . |
| 14 | Lesley still has to deal with idiot boy hecklers : ‘ Women can not express their sexuality freely in any area of life , especially in popular music . |
| 15 | I can not express my gratitude . |
| 16 | ‘ Words can not express our gratitude . |
| 17 | Material dependence arises because the old can not earn their living and financial arrangements must be made to see that they have an income that is adequate to their needs . |
| 18 | It is all right to tell a whopper on an answering machine ( ‘ We 're sorry that we can not answer your call right now ’ is either a lie or a statement of the obvious ) , but no one will forgive you for not ‘ getting back ’ to him later . |
| 19 | For her son she is pure and nurturing , but also a source of anxiety , since he can not control her sexuality . |
| 20 | The distressed parent then has an automatic thought that , since she can not control their behaviour , she is a bad person . |
| 21 | The list is endless , but for starters : liver diseases caused by alcohol ; drug-induced illnesses ; overdoses ; aids developed through promiscuous sexual behaviour ; heart disease and circulation problems in severely obese people who can not control their desire for fattening foods ; osteoporosis and other arthritic conditions caused by ‘ couch potatoes ’ who refuse to take exercise . |
| 22 | The technique involves the woman masturbating her partner to the point where he can not control his ejaculation , whereupon she squeezes the tip of his penis firmly between her fingers until the urge subsides . |
| 23 | The hearing , granted by the Court of Session because Mr McTear can not leave his home , started on Tuesday but had to be abandoned on Wednesday when he became unwell during cross-examination . |
| 24 | Meat 's taste , for example , can not explain its popularity , for flavour is not an absolute quality . |
| 25 | We can not explain our hostility to internal compromise by appeal to principles of either fairness or justice as we have defined those virtues . |
| 26 | This does not mean that , as a survival technique , individual species can not vary their body size to suit circumstances . |
| 27 | Some social service departments provide a laundry service for people with incontinence , or who can not manage their laundry for other reasons . |
| 28 | Sir Denis is very popular at Walworth Road , the Labour Party HQ , even though it can not spell his name correctly . |
| 29 | ‘ If Mrs Thatcher is working with Philip Morris then I can not shake her hand . |
| 30 | It is compounded by the fact that later in the game Strach also tires and can not pressurise his full-back , or cover Kelly so well . |