Example sentences of "what it [modal v] [prep] [be] " in BNC.
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1 | Mr Ford has shown an absence of leadership and an absence of grasp of what this country is and what it ought to be . ’ |
2 | To say what it ought to be would be to express attitudes of his own , which he does not regard as the task of the kind of philosopher like himself who is , in his professional work , trying to understand ethical discussion rather than to participate in it . |
3 | He did not concern himself with the business of creating such a society , only with the description of what it ought to be like : the actual propositions in the book are not to be taken literally , in other words , since he was offering only the ideal model of a better civilization . |
4 | At the same time he was prone to a feeling of guilt that his art was not what it ought to be . |
5 | The minister could never say to the board , ‘ right , now you have a logical remit , go away and fulfil it and so long as your rate of return is what it ought to be , we will not interfere ’ ( SCNI 1968 : 431 , 434–6 ) . |
6 | ON FARM after farm around us the potato harvest is coming in — but the lifting of spuds is not what it used to be . |
7 | ‘ Nostalgia ai n't what it used to be , ’ interjected Andrew , quoting the latest college graffiti . |
8 | But they said the number was only a fraction of what it used to be . |
9 | It is a great name , though some say the atmosphere at the ‘ Kempi ’ is not what it used to be . |
10 | Gerald Peach , sing secretary , said that , though it was not what it used to be , ‘ it is a tradition we are anxious to maintain ’ . |
11 | Of course that is just what it used to be for before the invasion of the television and the mobile office . |
12 | My wife was the first to notice it : running a bath was n't what it used to be ; no more gush of water , just a diminishing trickle . |
13 | Payola is n't what it used to be . |
14 | The future ai n't what it used to be |
15 | English cricket is n't what it used to be . |
16 | ‘ First , I thought French was a chic language , ’ he explained , ‘ and then you know , I saw all those photos of Germany before the war and I thought life would never be what it used to be . |
17 | Fleet Street ai n't what it used to be . |
18 | my acuity is not what it used to be |
19 | My voice is n't what it used to be . ’ |
20 | ‘ Dear diary , history is n't what it used to be . ’ |
21 | My intention was to arrive here during hours of daylight , but the charity of our road-users is not what it used to be . |
22 | Two fine , upstanding members of staff attend a Christmas party in the staff canteen , c.1971 — which just goes to show that Christmas in the National Library is not what it used to be ! |
23 | But even though nostalgia may not be what it used to be , even for these people there are good reasons for staying in touch . |
24 | That 's what it used to be . |
25 | Except that their role is more obscure to the public eye , the authorities ' influence over short-term interest rates is not very different from what it used to be when they announced an MLR each week and expected institutions to comply . |
26 | Its suspension is not what it used to be . |
27 | " Change is not what it used to be " ( Handy 1989 ) . |
28 | My eyesight is not what it used to be . |
29 | Okay , next , okay a rather odd looking form , erm , multi-purpose memo form , that erm , well that 's what it used to be . |
30 | With KGB agents now giving interviews and writing their memoirs , spying is not what it used to be . |