Example sentences of "had [not/n't] been for the " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | The complex of disparate elements comprising academic English was always unstable , though they might have stayed together longer if it had not been for the demands of the academic environment . |
| 2 | In 1959 Rank claimed that ‘ Britain would now have a healthy industry and a very successful market ’ if it had not been for the insensitivity of the Department of Trade . |
| 3 | If it had not been for the extraordinary resilience of Hitler 's Wehrmacht and the fortitude of the German people , it would have done so . |
| 4 | Perhaps if it had not been for the Shakoor Rana affair the TCCB might have handled this quietly and sensibly by issuing a non-committal statement and letting the fuss die down . |
| 5 | We agreed to have him for a fortnight but when the time came he refused to go , and would be with us yet if it had not been for the First World War and your father having to go … |
| 6 | They were bare and shabby and if it had not been for the pretty yellow cloths she had made for the tables and the yellow and orange cushions she had covered for the chairs and the blue vase full of roses she had asked Maria to place on the chest of drawers , then they would have been dismal indeed . |
| 7 | If it had not been for the shamelessness of it , Wilson felt she might have been sorely tempted to exploit this extraordinary advantage . |
| 8 | ‘ If it had not been for the difficulties and bruises caused by the recession , I have no doubt there would be an increased majority for the Conservative Party , ’ he said . |
| 9 | Many of the greatest treasures in National Trust houses would have been sold abroad long ago if it had not been for the ‘ in lieu ’ system , which was established in 1956 and which enabled private owners to give works of art to the nation in lieu of capital taxes . |
| 10 | ‘ For my part I believe the African Jesus would have won if it had not been for the Dark Host . |
| 11 | Coming after five years of war , when for the first time there did seem to be a tiny light at the end of the tunnel , these new rockets were almost too much for our overstretched nerves , although the situation would no doubt have been very much worse if it had not been for the times when both the RAF and the American Air Force had been out bombing Peenemunde and the other rocket sites . |
| 12 | Price Waterhouse 's UK practice would have experienced a negative growth rate in fee income in the year to June 1992 , if it had not been for the firm 's corporate recovery arm . |
| 13 | Yet even though he got the chance to fight Mr Bush , he would not now be heading for the White House if it had not been for the disaster which hit the President a few days after that TV interview . |
| 14 | In one case , it was said that ‘ it was the 15-year-old girl who was the dominant partner in the relationship ’ with a 28-year-old woman separated from her husband , while in the other case ‘ a pretty 15-year-old schoolgirl skipped lessons to have a lesbian love affair ’ ; however the defence counsel said that her mother had told police she thought there was nothing wrong with a lesbian relationship and ‘ if it had not been for the age of the young lady , none of us would be here today ’ . |
| 15 | Seen from below , Lacuna 's long body would have looked comical as she ran back and forth , if it had not been for the grimace of rage that contorted her white face . |
| 16 | It would not have been terrible — only like Frank — if it had not been for the pain of stones , metal , pressed into soft skin . |
| 17 | Floy thought he would have rather enjoyed this journey if it had not been for the nagging concern about Fenella , left behind in the giants ' hands . |
| 18 | Stan might truly have forgotten if it had not been for the crash of the falling chair . |
| 19 | If it had not been for the circumstance of his being away , I should not be here now . ’ |
| 20 | Interestingly enough Larry Witty , the General Secretary of the Labour Party , said at last year 's Labour Party Conference that if it had not been for the steadily , steady influence of the unions during the eighties , when the Party was tearing itself in two , we would not have a Labour Party today . |
| 21 | And , if it had not been for the speedy response from the coastguard , the boys would have found themselves out in the open sea . |
| 22 | And if it had not been for the speedy response of the coastguard , the boys would have found themselves out in the open sea . |
| 23 | If it had not been for the horrific blunder by their goalkeeper at Ibrox , Howard Wilkinson 's men would go into Battle of Britain II at Elland Road seeking merely to confirm the superiority of the English domestic game over the Scottish . |
| 24 | ‘ If it had not been for the Liberal Democrats , the government would have lost . ’ |
| 25 | If it had n't been for the Yeti , I 'd never have met Malcolm McLaren or Johnie Rotten . |
| 26 | It 's Sir Ralph Halpern 's view that if it had n't been for the current worldwide recession , many more outside brands would have been introduced to the UK market . |
| 27 | I might have travelled at almost eight thousand inches an hour if it had n't been for the stops . |
| 28 | However none of these exhibitions could have happened if it had n't been for the groundbreaking work carried out by Lubaina Himid since the late 70s . |
| 29 | If it had n't been for the canter Nails would not have been terribly keen for another lesson , but the canter had given him dreams above his station . |
| 30 | He spoke honestly , but more harshly than he would have done if it had n't been for the pain he carried . |