Example sentences of "hardly [vb infin] [vb pp] a " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | SHORT of selecting a dead student , the Nobel Prize Committee could hardly have made a choice more calculated to embarrass and enrage the Chinese leadership . |
| 2 | With Gatting dropping out of the Lord 's Test at his own request , Emburey could hardly have made a better start . |
| 3 | When Gary Bennett gave them a fourth-minute lead against promotion-chasing Leicester , the Roker Park side could hardly have made a better start . |
| 4 | But in numerical terms this factor can hardly have made a major impact — the Max Planck Institutes permanently employ only 2000 researchers , compared with a total of 76 000 university academics of whom more than 20 000 are professors . |
| 5 | Darlington could hardly have made a worse start , goalkeeper Mark Prudhoe and his fellow defenders standing frozen to the spot as Preece smartly turned and shot into the top left corner in the ninth minute . |
| 6 | And Becker could hardly have landed a more dangerous floater with a first round match against compatriot Marc Goellner who , along with Karbacher , is part of the new wave of top German players . |
| 7 | The linkage of wisdom with power can hardly have escaped a student-prince . |
| 8 | They guessed it was an emotional response to another womb death ; though , heaven knew , they would hardly have wanted a child , in their mid-forties , even if Charsky 's infertility could be miraculously cured . |
| 9 | Then , likely as not , he would hardly have had a chance to open his mouth before the Collector would be off again . |
| 10 | John could hardly have found a better influence . |
| 11 | But mostly I remember the fishing and if it had n't been for having to carry a gas mask , go without sweets and put up with loud bangs in the middle of the night , I would hardly have known a war was going on . |
| 12 | He could hardly have chosen a more exciting match than Sunday 's in which to run the rule over Yorkshire , but Robinson admits he 's a bad watcher of cricket . |
| 13 | To celebrate the occasion , they could hardly have offered a more attractive programme — two of the top favourite operas of all time , plus a full-scale concert of the most popular music of Vienna . |
| 14 | A noted devotee both of the opera and the fair sex , he could hardly have avoided a dangerous liaison . |
| 15 | English mathematics had been in a contemptible state for so long that one could hardly have expected a solution to such an important problem to come from that quarter . |
| 16 | If Puddephat had been at the flat in Paris on Friday evening , he could hardly have squeezed a trip to Germany in between . |