Example sentences of "[noun sg] [conj] merely a " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | So far I have left open the question of whether Maastricht is likely to prove to have been the high-water mark of European Federalism or merely a bench-mark against which to test future movement towards a Federalist state . |
| 2 | However , it is artistically total tosh and merely a vehicle for an imagination nowhere close to reaching puberty . |
| 3 | It has been argued that the communist utopia is not a scientific prediction but merely a projection of the ‘ wish-images ’ of those who adopt a Marxist position . |
| 4 | They see our future as merely an offshore island for foreign investment which guarantees some tenuous future in the European Community . |
| 5 | It would be possible to dismiss the Plus Programme as merely an expression of a different style , without substance or commitment to institutional change . |
| 6 | For David Marquand 's main mistake is to see the policy review as merely an exercise in junking outmoded policies . |
| 7 | The rise of mass education saw a decline in social mobility and merely an inflation in employers ' demands for qualifications . |
| 8 | Such signs of relative forgiveness on the part of the leaders he had persecuted so relentlessly in the past , particularly Deng Xiaoping , offer perhaps the clearest insight into Chen 's career : he had never been a political force in his own right but merely a faithful interpreter and executor of Mao 's will . |
| 9 | Or , to quote Ramsey : " … there is really no separate problem of truth but merely a linguistic muddle . " |
| 10 | Keynes himself saw the liquidity trap as merely a special case : the case where the economy is in deep recession . |
| 11 | Officially , a spokesman for Trainload Freight sector said BR was in negotiation with PowerGen about a new contract , but it is understood that BR sees the contract cancellation as merely a negotiation ploy and feels a new deal could be struck . |
| 12 | In these studies , in common with many others , it has not been possible to discover if the change was a primary defect or merely a secondary effect of the disease process . |
| 13 | For teachers it can , however , sometimes seem like an administrative chore or merely an unwelcome interruption of the timetable . |
| 14 | Sandison was unsure whether this was an instruction or merely a statement referring to Maidstone 's own approach . |
| 15 | Lord Oliver described proximity as ‘ no more than a label which embraces not a definable concept but merely a description of circumstances from which , pragmatically , the courts conclude that a duty of care exists ’ . |
| 16 | If you do , would not the same argument be applied to a host of other examples of training expenditure ; for example , costs related to acquisition of BS 5750 ( a cost which is not directly a cost of trading but merely a requirement to put companies in a position to carry on their trade , ie where customers seek BS 5750 approval ) ? |
| 17 | In common with the men of Qumran , with whom he seems to have had some links , John saw washing with water as merely a preparatory rite , while the great cleansing and the gift of the Spirit lay in the future ( I QS : 9–1 of and 4:21 ) . |
| 18 | As Mr Hamilton explains it , this is not an attack on its authority but merely an attempt to establish communication ‘ with the outside world . ’ |
| 19 | A daring and devious regicide or merely a clumsy archer ? |
| 20 | IT 'S NEVER EASY to tell , when something seems to be happening more and more , whether there is a genuine trend or merely an excessive zeal of reporting . |
| 21 | Up until 1880 it was a typical Nortolk village with no real centre but merely a dispersed pattern of cottages and farmsteads . |
| 22 | What is missed by those who follow Nettl 's view , is that a number of Marxists would probably agree , in the sense that the idea of the state as merely an agent distorts the observed contradictions within the bourgeoisie , and assumes a purely passive role for the state in capitalism . |
| 23 | Traditionalists , however , do not regard society as merely a gigantic market place and favour an authoritarian stand on many social issues , for example , on drugs , abortion , Sunday trading , and censorship . |
| 24 | It would be a massive oversimplification to see The Wedding Present 's excursion into Ukrainian music as merely an attempt by Peter Solowka to please his parents . |
| 25 | ‘ What you 're saying is , ’ she said , ‘ that one should n't even whisper it in the wind on the hill-tops because once said a thing can never be unsaid ; that expression gives power to thought ; that even the clear though unspoken formulation of a nebulous impression may be dangerous , giving it a force and potency which silence or merely a lack of clarification would deny to it . ’ |
| 26 | But put together , they produced a potent brew which has caused an extraordinary about-face in US Government policy : at the 1984 World Population Conference in Mexico City , the US described population growth as merely a ‘ neutral phenomenon ’ . |
| 27 | Other visitors might have seen the business-card as merely a piece of litter — it could have stayed there , its drawing-pins slowly rusting , for years ; but Flaubert gave it function . |
| 28 | It is a question of construction of the contract between the creditor and joint debtor in the light of the surrounding circumstances whether the contract amounts to a release or merely a contract not to sue . |
| 29 | But how do you know when you 're eighteen , whatever , is a natural teaching ability or merely a wish to try it ? |
| 30 | Decide whether the pest is a serious threat or merely a nuisance . |