Example sentences of "could [verb] to [be] [adj] " in BNC.

  Next page
No Sentence
1 They were not forewarned of the final paragraph , added by a Vatican envoy : ‘ There is no way the Bishops could want to be disrespectful to His Excellency the Life President of the Republic , whom they hold in high esteem . ’
2 the resources which he could expect to be available to him for the purpose of meeting the liability should it arise ; and
3 In relation to clauses which impose a monetary limit on damages recoverable in the event of breach of contract , the court is also to take into account : ( a ) the resources which [ the party seeking to rely on the clause ] could expect to be available to him for the purpose of meeting the liability should it arise ; and ( b ) how far it was open to him to cover himself by insurance .
4 And though many knew him , few could claim to be close to the peaceful , white-haired old man .
5 Ethernet was n't the first LAN standard , but it was the first that could claim to be non-proprietary ( many vendors sell Ethernet-compatible adaptors ) , cheap ( thanks to its use of readily available , low-cost cabling — telephone-wire twisted pair or TV-aerial co-ax ) , and flexible ( Ethernet is equally at home with small starter systems and huge network layouts ) .
6 It is not perhaps surprising that Sir Walter Scott , with his antiquarian interest , should have had a sharp eye for architectural difference , or even for interior detail , provided it could claim to be antique .
7 WALES flanker Emyr Lewis , out of action since aggravating a shoulder injury last month , could struggle to be fit for the Five Nations match against England in Cardiff on February 6 .
8 And , quite apart from demonstrating maturity by dismissing the incident and behaving normally , if she could manage to be polite to this man there was just a chance she might discover some clues to his plans for her family 's business .
9 In fact , one of the major drawbacks with signature models is that the buyer unwittingly inherits all of the idiosyncrasies of the original player 's design and , in a few instances , these could prove to be incompatible with his or her own style of playing .
10 Attalli says the bank has enough money for the basic task of investment in private industry and in infrastructure projects ( ’ in fact , there is more money than projects , ’ he complains ) , as well as for training and education , but there are areas that could prove to be capital-hungry and ultimately create as many problems as they are intended to solve .
11 Corinth could afford to be indifferent to the vengeance Athens took against Samos ; Megara was what mattered to Corinth , and Megara was now back in the Peloponnesian camp .
12 Dora , naturally , was in good spirits and with Fortune on her side she could afford to be magnanimous .
13 She showed no inclination to argue further , but lay back in her chair , smiling at Robert , and I saw that it was not , as I had believed , understanding and acceptance that her smile revealed , not that their marriage was so secure it could sustain itself in the face of any disagreement , but that Lili could afford to be pleasant because she had no scruples .
14 He could afford to be casual about the odd Force Nine .
15 The doctor was paying her the ten shillings , she could afford to be friendly .
16 Brian could afford to be affectionate , from over a hundred miles away .
17 The point of that story was that Scrooge could afford to be generous .
18 At this moment she is all mine and without Faustina , Mark thought , then added quickly , ‘ I wonder what Faustina is doing now , ’ for he could afford to be generous among the azaleas , with Sophia 's hand in his .
19 While Prince Charles could afford to be amused , Diana was quickly discovering the exacting price of royal romance .
20 Of course , he could afford to be amused .
21 Bill 's loyalty to his apprentice had been ill rewarded this evening and no trainer could afford to be sentimental .
22 And , when , finally , she did emerge from her curtain cubicle to face the other girls , they took it very well , for they could afford to be charitable , and they were secretly glad that Clara 's style was cramped , for without some handicap she would have been a more serious threat .
23 He could afford to be crazy .
24 Amongst the Young Socialists , no talk about Southern Africa , especially one delivered by a Conservative Party official , could fail to be political .
25 No one brought up in the Jewish faith with his sort of European connections could fail to be unaware , or convulsed , by the nightmare we call the Holocaust .
26 Most meditatively — remember Drury Lane , he murmured , and , his favourite whip and spur , ‘ Attack , boy , attack ! ’ — so meditatively that no one could fail to be impressed by the inner preoccupation of the handsome gentleman in Hessian boots who ruminated across the turf , he paced a slow , measured entrance to the very central point of the circle without once raising his gaze from the earth or his head from the cusp of a hand which supported its pensive load .
27 Neither partner could fail to be aware of the interest in their company which , more than once , threatened to result in a book chronicling their success , especially as Laura had just finished working on the first Laura Ashley Book of Home Decorating .
28 There was little doubt that Britain could continue to be successful , but certain adjustments were thought necessary to bring this about .
29 If they could learn to be civil to each other , maybe even friendly , it would make it very much easier to walk away from him when this was all over .
  Next page