Example sentences of "[pron] happened to [be] [v-ing] " in BNC.

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1 And I 'm awfully glad I happened to be passing .
2 I happened to be passing — hope you do n't mind me barging in like this .
3 I was confusing those regulations with some others , because I happened to be dealing with the lack of adequate time for the disability working regulations .
4 Initially I happened to be watching a monitor at the BBC on which was an item about a group of French musicians who played their music on glass tubes .
5 It was one evening when I happened to be valeting him , Mr Charles told me he had come across my father some years earlier while a guest at Loughborough House — the home of Mr John Silvers , the industrialist , where my father served for fifteen years at the height of his career .
6 I happened to be looking for somewhere to mount a small African sculpture I had bought and came upon De Biasi in Tottenham Mews just off Tottenham Court Toad .
7 Oh and I happened to be standing in the back kitchen you know and I got hold of this saucepan and I picked my little brother up and put him under my arm in case he got hurt and I oh I belted my father from his head to his feet with the saucepan .
8 At that time I happened to be running the scheme as a leader and officer in the Stornoway Sea Cadet Corps and the boy 's mother had asked me to attend in her place .
9 I happened to be walking past the kitchen yesterday when I heard you calling to someone named William . ’
10 He was exiting the Commons Chamber at the end of Prime Minister 's Question Time and I happened to be walking along the corridor which he was entering .
11 Yeah I se well I happened to be coming home from school cos I thought there was a the hearse coming and then I watched two mourning cars two flashy great big things !
12 He was brilliant at his job , which happened to be organising a PR set-up in the army .
13 In the Asturias a mob of a thousand peasants and university students , after pillaging the arsenal of its rifles , made an end of the hesitations of the Audiencia and the constituted authorities , who were afraid to defy Murat ; the general assembly of the province , which happened to be holding one of its triennial meetings , took the leadership of the insurrection , and , on 25 May , declared war on Napoleon .
14 Today she happened to be wearing the dress of violet-coloured wool which was the last thing Miss Statham had made for her — drifts of its full skirt could be seen at the front of her grey squirrel coat .
15 He ran both hands up into the roots of her hair , which she happened to be wearing down , and tried to plant a kiss on her forehead .
16 She spent more and more time off her eggs , parading about the yard , cackling as if demented and taking sudden rushes in whatever direction she happened to be facing when each fit of frenzy overcame her .
17 But , pushing him aside , she gathered her cloak around her , made so bravely from those two old plush tablecloths , and began to walk downhill — the direction she happened to be facing — until she came to St Jude 's churchyard where she sat on a gravestone , her head in her hands , and shivered .
18 It was n't purely coincidental that she happened to be carrying the details of previous work experience , for she 'd expected that the secretarial agency might want to see them .
19 It proved a disastrous union — ‘ Salo ’ , the inferior player , became brutally jealous of his wife 's game , and accused her of flirting with whomever she happened to be playing .
20 He opened the back of the watch case , and Bathsheba , who happened to be looking , saw that there was a curl of hair hidden inside .
21 ‘ Oh , these woods have seen far worse than Medoc and the Twelve Lords , ’ said Lugh airily , who happened to be listening to this .
22 Arrested with Mrs Dyer was her son-in-law , a Mr Arthur Palmer , who happened to be living with her at the time .
23 He was saved by a radio engineer who had studied in England and who happened to be monitoring the audition .
24 There was once a little tailor , a good and unremarkable man , who happened to be journeying through a forest , in search of work perhaps , for in those days men travelled great distances to make a meagre living , and the services of a fine craftsman , like our hero , were less in demand than cheap and cobbling hasty work that fitted ill and lasted only briefly .
25 No-one was certain if any hanging had really taken place but on cold , windy nights the tree would creak and moan , startling those who happened to be passing by .
26 To a large extent , their numbers were made up of tourists , people who happened to be passing by , people with time to kill , and people who simply fancied doing something different .
27 ‘ Well , he does n't sound like anyone I know , ’ I said , ‘ unless he 's a caddie who happened to be passing nearby and wanted to quiz me about any work available . ’
28 This , to the wonder of anyone who happened to be passing , was Islamic dancing .
29 Before being taken to the platform , he was introduced to those members of the Committee who happened to be milling around the entrance .
30 The incident was witnessed by Uncle Fred , a well built lad of eighteen , who happened to be working with a pitchfork nearby .
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