Example sentences of "could [not/n't] [verb] be [adv] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
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| 1 | Could not 'ave been more seamier . |
| 2 | Another part of Phoebe hated herself for this cynical internal grin , because these were her friends and she was indubitably one of them , and could not imagine being otherwise . |
| 3 | What I really could not understand was why the senator did not beat ten kinds of nonsense out of a son who told him to cool it , but telling middle-class Americans to thump their kids is like asking them to burn their flag , so I did not waste my time . |
| 4 | If anything , it has even more justified my decision to leave Coventry where I was manager and join Chelsea — I certainly could not have been away for a month if I 'd stayed at Highfield Road . |
| 5 | When she complained to a doctor that it was down below freezing she could not have been nearer the mark . |
| 6 | It could not have been otherwise for the attainment of the required goal of the perfect human being was possible by no other means . |
| 7 | It could not have been otherwise . |
| 8 | God 's laws of nature were like those of the Medes and the Persians , which changed not ; but they were not necessary laws which could not have been otherwise . |
| 9 | new evidence has become available which could not have been reasonably known of or foreseen ; or |
| 10 | The early universe could not have been completely homogeneous and uniform because that would violate the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics . |
| 11 | It could not have been completely uniform , because that would violate the uncertainty principle of quantum theory . |
| 12 | Whatever the reasons , it is certain that the development of financial conglomerates could not have been fully completed without the radical changes brought about by what in Britain is known as the ‘ Big Bang ’ — the deregulation of the Stock Exchange in October 1986 . |
| 13 | They could not have been long fledged ; the white on their bellies still had a downy look . |
| 14 | William Agnew 's splendid efforts on behalf of the deaf of Glasgow could not have been entirely successful without the support he received from a number of other deaf individuals . |
| 15 | Thomas 's contribution could not have been more timely , Tommy Tynan having equalised an own goal by David Byrne . |
| 16 | But it was still very difficult , because every day I was in London I was moving from one business to the other and they could not have been more different in character . |
| 17 | ‘ I am dependent on people with whom I have been associated in the past inviting me and I must say they could not have been more gracious . ’ |
| 18 | It could not have been more exciting news and everyone was thrilled , but her small and newly gathered staff took a deep breath . |
| 19 | It was a triumph of modern science , and the new patron could not have been more impressed — although being seven months pregnant herself she was a little bit squeamish at the sight of the giant ten-inch needles used in the procedure . |
| 20 | His natural musical imagination silenced any lingering doubts , and when it came to music expressly written for the instrument — a brilliant showpiece sonata by the American , Paul Creston ; a new work commissioned from the young Irishman , Kevin O'Connell ; and Dave Heath 's vigorous fantasy , Rumania — McChrystal could not have been more persuasive , brilliantly supported by his accompanist , Kathryn Lenahan . |
| 21 | And Mr Major himself could not have been more emollient . |
| 22 | Sadly , his prophecy could not have been more accurate . |
| 23 | I could not have been more bemused if characters from books had come up and started talking to me . |
| 24 | The mother of the two children , a toddler and a baby , could not have been more than twenty . |
| 25 | The Lincoln Library could not have been more different from the Ash Factory . |
| 26 | After so many attempts , that day could not have been more rewarding , and I 've since been back at its summit twice . |
| 27 | Areas of trapped sediment within these gullies were screened and the bones recovered , but the original position of the scats could not be determined ( Andrews & Evans , 1983 ) , although from the nature of the scat site they could not have been more than 20 metres away . |
| 28 | It could not have been more than three feet deep at the deepest point and as little as six inches in others . |
| 29 | The water scene on each side of the mill could not have been more in contrast . |
| 30 | The instructors were all trained in the UK and could not have been more helpful when I asked at very short notice whether I could fly their Archer for £34 . |