Example sentences of "could have [been] a " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | The British government over the water could have been a million miles away ( for detailed accounts see Arthur 1984 ; Buckland 1979 ; Farrell 1976 ; for a summary see McAllister 1983 ; for a summary of all forms of discrimination adopted , see Whyte 1983 ; Hillyard 1983 ) . |
| 2 | He thus turned what could have been a tragedy into a melodrama , i.e. ‘ a sensational dramatic piece with crude appeals to the emotions ’ ( O.E.D. ) . |
| 3 | Travelling half-way round the world to run in a race that is two furlongs longer than one taking place in the town where Old Vic is trained seems a rather extreme route away from providing what could have been a thrilling contest . |
| 4 | The fortieth anniversary of the founding of East Germany on Saturday could have been a crowning moment in Erich Honecker 's career . |
| 5 | The play is enlivened by the vicious energy of the performances and by a variety of Irish music and dance which ranges from mournful ballads to the jolliest of jigs , transforming what could have been a dreary harangue into an invigorating ensemble work . |
| 6 | With a bit more Imsak , this could have been a great book . |
| 7 | Sergeant Terry Lawton , of British Transport Police , said yesterday : ‘ The train was approaching and if all 450 runners had hurdled the barriers and any had fallen , there could have been a mass slaughter on the line . ’ |
| 8 | The big house ( Brigade H.Q ) received another hit this evening , it could have been a German or British shell . |
| 9 | It could have been a motorcycle crash . |
| 10 | ‘ I could have been a little hasty in my diagnosis , ’ Arty allowed with an embarrassed smile . |
| 11 | Mr Constable added : ‘ There could have been a commuter rebellion last week . |
| 12 | Further west , the resorts of Vail in Colorado , and Calgary in Canada averted what could have been a disastrous Winter Olympics last February by making extensive use of artificial snow . |
| 13 | There could have been a fourth cup there , for Great Britain and Ireland had also won the Eisenhower Trophy for the World Amateur Team Championships , providing also the winner of the individual section . |
| 14 | ‘ You could have been a great cabinet maker , ’ she told him . |
| 15 | She could have been a top model . |
| 16 | Could have been a million miles away . |
| 17 | That could have been a game , after all . |
| 18 | But if we had not been advancing properly — being there just ahead of the main party to iron out any difficulties — the result could have been a very serious error in terms of local coverage , with potentially unhappy consequences . |
| 19 | The premature end to what could have been a professional ballet career meant that Carol at least had more time to devote to the blossoming courtship with a young accountant , Ron Minogue . |
| 20 | He could have been a contender instead of a ‘ dead-player ’ — the author of an 800-page memoir . |
| 21 | This could have been a thinner book . |
| 22 | It could have been a slap . |
| 23 | There would have been little room to work or store on the gallery , but it could have been a convenient place to display finished work for the approval of the merchants riding round the countryside in search of stock , as the main road passes nearby and upon which the main flow of riders would have travelled . |
| 24 | It could have been a compliment ; it was n't . |
| 25 | Kathryn , who is married with an 18-month-old daughter , said she was just curious to know whether these experiences could be connected with reincarnation and says that at times : ‘ I feel restless , a sort of sad yearning for what could have been a past life . ’ |
| 26 | It could have been a glorious finale , but it was n't . |
| 27 | It could have been a crushing disappointment for Tip Anderson , with the Championship staged over his home course ; instead it turned into a remarkable and spectacular success . |
| 28 | It could have been a much , much better album if it had received better technical production , ’ he says . |
| 29 | WHAT could have been a disastrous start for fifth-year pupils at Bohunt School to the social event of the school year was averted by quick-thinking and the help of a parent . |
| 30 | With the extra dimension of greater personal commitment by the author , it could have been a very good book indeed . |