Example sentences of "[vb past] [not/n't] be for [pos pn] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | If it had not been for their long , soul-searching conversations about the Koran and the life of the Prophet , he would probably not , now , be sleeping with her . |
| 2 | When Aunt Lilian wrote to tell him of my mother 's death — she said she had died from pneumonia — he sent a wreath of lilies and a letter , saying that if it had not been for her tuition , he would not be where he was now . |
| 3 | If it had not been for my brother , the Odonata would have drowned , just as the turtle-shaped biped drowned . |
| 4 | If it had not been for his clothes and the rings on his fingers I would have scarcely recognised him . ’ |
| 5 | Sarah and Terry had no alternative but she and John could have had months of courtship before he went away if it had not been for his stubbornness . |
| 6 | Brian had given Scarlet the impression that , if it had not been for his first wife and her child , and his second wife and her child , he would have been living a life of carefree splendour in a house adjacent to the park . |
| 7 | He guided Alexandra out of the kitchen and along a passage so dark that if it had not been for his hand on her elbow , she would not have known where she was going . |
| 8 | ‘ If it had n't been for her courage and fortitude in going out there and taking on the role of investigator , private detective and motivator , those files would still be closed and the police would just have an unsolved case of a missing person . ’ |
| 9 | If it had n't been for her fat friend , she would have overslept . |
| 10 | I do n't know how I 'd 've coped if it had n't been for my mum . |
| 11 | And I would n't have if it had n't been for my mother … |
| 12 | Fire-brigade or not , if it had n't been for your bright idea and splendid work and your friend 's race for help to the farmhouse the whole field would be ablaze , ’ said Farmer Olinton . |
| 13 | ‘ If it had n't been for your interference she would still be alive . ’ |
| 14 | ‘ I 'm not a particularly patient man , and the thought of lying flat on my back for weeks made me feel almost suicidal , and if it had n't been for your parents — well , suffice to say that they were marvellous — ’ |
| 15 | If it had n't been for your shiftless nephew , Suzie would be back in England by now , my mother would n't be having sleepless nights and I could be in London doing the job for which I 'm paid ! ’ |
| 16 | ‘ If it had n't been for your ghastly aunt we 'd have been married by now . ’ |
| 17 | If it had n't been for his diligent research and dogged answer seeking , I would n't be leaving for America two hours from now in the hope of a cure . |
| 18 | Adam would have faced almost certain death if it had n't been for his quick thinking . |
| 19 | He 'd begun to tell her an anecdote about the time he 'd been trying out some play in Brighton when he 'd very nearly missed the curtain because he 'd accidentally locked himself in his hotel-room , and how if it had n't been for his wife — ; realising his blunder he broke off and wanted to know if she minded his being married . |
| 20 | If it had n't been for his quick-mindedness , he said , goodness knows what scandal might not have ensued . |
| 21 | They 'd have sacked him , if it had n't been for his war-record — it would n't have looked good . |
| 22 | If it had n't been for his harsh , laboured breathing , Isabel would not have known that he still lived . |