Example sentences of "could not [vb infin] [subord] [pron] " in BNC.
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| 31 | She could not tell whether it had been a matter of minutes or several hours . |
| 32 | But Cardiff could not tell whether it was the storm … or the thing jammed in the window aperture , free at last . |
| 33 | Grant felt light-headed , but he could not tell whether it was due to the drug taking effect , or the happiness he felt at this news . |
| 34 | Even if the black hole did emit the right kinds of particles , one could not tell if they were actually the same particles that had gone down the other hole . |
| 35 | I was standing 15–20 yards from the incident and I could not tell if it was a handball . |
| 36 | When he awoke he could not tell if he had fainted or had been asleep for hours or even days . |
| 37 | He could not tell if there was any connection between the events on this minor planet and those on the outer worlds . |
| 38 | And this correspondent , to whom , sadly , I could not reply because she did n't give her full address : ‘ Fantastic , exactly the way I would like my funeral arranged . |
| 39 | As Robert Lovett , former Under Secretary of State , told the drafting committee , there was practically nothing that the US could not do if it wanted to . |
| 40 | Finally Carol Jones , arriving in a great hurry , apologized but could not stay as she was doing the payroll . |
| 41 | It was this sort of in-between authority that he could not tolerate as he felt that it would only increase the existing element of confusion . |
| 42 | The British Airports Authority and the Department of Transport said they could not comment until they had studied the union 's findings . |
| 43 | I pulled the short straw and could not drink as I had the job of getting everyone up in the morning and doing the first two hours driving . |
| 44 | I could not imagine when I should have occasion to wear some of my more exotic outfits . |
| 45 | It was twilight now , and they could not see whether it was a rocky coast or not , but they did n't mind . |
| 46 | We could not see whether it was a man or a woman , as it was completely covered with sheets . |
| 47 | And Uncle Camillo in his armour with the lamp shining on the breastplate and helmet , and the vizor down so you could not see if he were laughing . |
| 48 | He could not see if she smiled now that her mouth was hidden by her scarf . |
| 49 | Other voices joined in , in a low growl , but Robert could not hear whether they were repeating what Rafiq had said , or , indeed , whether they were speaking English at all . |
| 50 | Water poured continually from a constant-level tank into one scoop after another of a large waterwheel , but each scoop could not descend until it was full . |
| 51 | We believe political officials have responsibilities we could not defend if we had to build these directly from the ordinary requirements of individual personal morality most of us accept for ourselves and others in nonpolitical life . |
| 52 | Westmacott could not follow as he was under attack by the Bf109s , but the Controller later reported that the bomber 's ‘ plot ’ had disappeared from the radar screen halfway to Sicily , and Westmacott was awarded a probable . |
| 53 | Such a change could also bring into the development plan eligibility net a large number of small farms in the French LFAs which hitherto could not qualify because their income levels were too low . |
| 54 | But for the life of her she could not behave as she ought when she stood among the rubble to which her life had been reduced . |
| 55 | But they could not say whether anyone had died until the tanker was hoisted clear later . |
| 56 | She remains in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary under observation but a hospital spokesman could not say if she would remain there a second night . |
| 57 | They hung it to an almond tree in the square by its ankles so that everyone could see it , and when it began to rot they burned it in a bonfire , for they could not determine whether its bastard nature was that of an animal to be thrown in the river or a human being to be buried … |
| 58 | The board has tried to gather information about the bid , but we could not act until we knew who to act for or against . |
| 59 | The GMC could not act because he had not specifically stated that he was a registered medical practitioner . |
| 60 | Several times they fell painfully on jagged rocks , so that they learned to move exceedingly slowly , edging forward and feeling for a foothold , and all the time they could not know whether they were not wandering in aimless circles and approaching no nearer to the security of the forest . |