Example sentences of "it [was/were] a [noun] [prep] [pron] " in BNC.

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1 We are frustrated that London Weighting has consistently been used as if it were a concession to our demands .
2 They are fighting for their enslavement as if it were a question of their salvation .
3 Although the majority of scientists tend to be a little coy about metaphysical matters in their professional publications , they are often less so outside when writing elsewhere , being prone to describe the framework of presuppositions about perception within which they conduct their investigations as if it were a discovery in its own right and that ‘ discovery ’ an explanation of perception .
4 Just as some moonstruck Juliet would if it were a picture of her other-side-of-the-world Romeo .
5 Because Israel did not detonate a weapon prior to 1967 , but currently possesses nuclear weapons , it would be in violation of the treaty if it were a signatory to it and would be legally obliged to destroy its stockpile and to end its nuclear programme .
6 Moral philosophers often ignore empathy as though it were an irrelevance outside their province , a matter for psychology perhaps rather than philosophy .
7 ‘ I do n't think it was a problem for him .
8 It was a problem for us as many were reluctant to return to our convents or seminaries .
9 I 'd like to be able to overcome that feeling that it was a problem to everybody else .
10 It was a translation of our novel Ararat : his specialism is Armenian history , you see . ’
11 As with the NVALA , it was a return to what was perceived as a now lost age of Christian orthodoxy that was being sought :
12 Ideologically , it was a return to his roots — to his obsession with the innate hostility of what he called " les féodalités " ( political parties , trade unions , special interest groups ) towards the state .
13 The man was a raving sadist , she thought , and then realised it was a requirement of his job .
14 It was a mark of her artistic intelligence and independence that she did not choose to dish up a pot-pourri of well tried favourites for the occasion , drawing attention to herself rather than the music .
15 She knew that this trouble with her daughter would be all the more enjoyed because it was a reflection on herself .
16 ALTHOUGH this match was largely devoid of running rugby , it was a classic of its type , the spectators held captivated by the tense battle .
17 It was a shock to me — and a revelation ! …
18 That 's why it was a shock to him . ’
19 I suppose it was a shock to her , that we 'd talked to Miss Rose , and heard about Celia and Donna .
20 So it was a shock to them when , during lunch that Thursday , Jones announced that his Brigham Young University team was preparing to publish its data and offered to let Fleischmann and Pons publish simultaneously .
21 It was a shock to them , but they stood by me .
22 It was a warning of what was in store .
23 They seemed to feel it was a threat to their virility . ’
24 This was particularly important as it was a field in which full-time education was only just emerging , and the development coincided with the early days of the CNAA .
25 It was a photo-opportunity for everyone but only because they genuinely wanted to be there , and to have their picture taken .
26 Whenever I went to Fisherton Street it was a must for me to go to Pickfords , the carriers for The Great Western Railway , just to gaze in the window , for right in the centre was a beautiful scale model of one of their pantechnicons , some two feet in length .
27 It was a continuation of her misguided perception that she was a world power and had to protect her Commonwealth and maintain an independent presence in the world .
28 He pronounced it ‘ Roobish ’ — it was a word in which his Rummidge accent was particularly noticeable .
29 I knew this and I knew it was a weakness in him and I should not put up with it .
30 It was a bond between them , although his links were long broken .
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