Example sentences of "[noun pl] can [not/n't] [verb] to [be] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
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| 1 | Journalists can not claim to be above the law , but what they can claim , in every country which takes free speech seriously , is a right to publish first , and take the risk of conviction afterwards . |
| 2 | Under-fives workers can not afford to be concerned solely with so-called ‘ professional ’ issues . |
| 3 | Since young managers can not expect to be rewarded for good short-term performances , there is less incentive to work for short-term results at the expense of longer-term benefits . |
| 4 | Over a twelve-month period a field-worker 's persistent inquisitiveness is bound to become something of an irritant , and van Maanen notes how field-workers can not expect to be liked by all respondents ( 1982 : 111 ) . |
| 5 | It is widely accepted that one of the main factors contributing to the relative decline and adverse trading position of the British economy is a shortfall of investment in private industry , and socialists can not afford to be indifferent to this since the employment prospects and livelihood of millions of workers are at stake . |
| 6 | In summer , field men can not afford to be too tolerant of pollution , especially with watercourses exposed to the greater scrutiny that comes with recreational use . |
| 7 | Children can not wait to be a year older ( ‘ I am five and three-quarters ’ ) , adolescents dream of marriage and careers , and people experiencing pressures of midlife may look forward to retirement and grandparenthood . |
| 8 | They seem to be locked in a time warp but this has become their biggest selling point because , by remaining stubbornly unlike every other manufacturer , their instruments can not fail to be distinctive . |
| 9 | Visitors to West German cities can not fail to be impressed by the peaceful , car free centres served by integrated public transport systems . |
| 10 | Living where they do , mountain goats can not afford to be fussy about what they eat . |