Example sentences of "could not [vb infin] said " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | That could not lie said of ‘ value ’ which was a matter of opinion and not fact . |
| 2 | He was still inside her , but softened and withdrawn , and she could not have said honestly that the experience was an exciting one . |
| 3 | Something was wrong she knew though she could not have said what it was and she was not in the least surprised when he made some excuse about being a bit busy next week and unable to see her . |
| 4 | He saw the death of his son , a placenta previa child who died during Lili 's labour , as direct vengeance , though he could not have said who was exacting it . |
| 5 | Yeremi almost clung to the former undercity dweller , whether out of strange fellow feeling or only for support he could not have said . |
| 6 | If he had chosen to confide in anyone then he could not have said clearly what was the summit of his aspiration . |
| 7 | The main reason why scholars have thought that the forged passages conferring the primacy were already in the documents in 1072 is that , if they were not there , Lanfranc could not have said that these papal letters were the ultimum robur of his whole case . |
| 8 | Sometimes this pleased him and sometimes it made him feel frightened , though he could not have said why . |
| 9 | Jasper knew she was pretending , though he could not have said how he knew . |
| 10 | She could not have said that she found him dull , because she did not know it , and was conscious only of her own failure , and her misery at her own personal inadequacy quite drowned any sensation of boredom . |
| 11 | Even Hazel could not have said a word for his life . |
| 12 | Brian came from her own home town , though she had not known him there : this had some significance , both acknowledged , though Liz could not have said what it was . |
| 13 | I was certain , although I could not have said why , that if I did not answer correctly this might well be the end . |
| 14 | It seemed the right thing to do , though he could not have said why . |
| 15 | He could not have said more plainly , ‘ It will soon be you and I. ’ There was an understanding between them . |
| 16 | Her hands flew to his shoulders , but whether to fend him off or make him stay she could not have said . |
| 17 | She wanted to get it out , get it over and done with , and she could not have said anything worse . |
| 18 | Although why it should have plummeted to her feet at the mention of the unknown Joanna , she could not have said . |
| 19 | I could not have said it better or more concisely . |
| 20 | The Prime Minister could not have said that between 1987 and April 1991 — the four years when child benefit was frozen . |
| 21 | Robert could not have said why , but he had the strong impression that the engineering master , too , had been listening at the door . |
| 22 | ‘ I could not have said it better myself , ’ he said coldly . |
| 23 | Ten days before , the lad could n't have said that . |
| 24 | Though he could n't have said what that purpose might be . |
| 25 | He could n't have said a truer word . |
| 26 | His aim is to make ACT number one supplier for the international finance sector , and although he admits he could n't have said such a thing three years ago without being laughed at , he now feels confident that it is a realisable goal . |
| 27 | Angelica could n't have said . |
| 28 | By the time masculine footsteps sounded on the flight of steps beyond the veranda , she could n't have said whether twenty minutes had passed or fifty . |
| 29 | Ironically she felt a tiny pang of regret for the long Viking locks , though she could n't have said why . |
| 30 | If conditions did n't improve soon she 'd be in very real danger of getting stuck in the snow — as it was she could n't have said with any real certainty whether she was driving on the road or in a field . |