Example sentences of "what it [modal v] to be " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 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 . |