Example sentences of "pretend to [be] " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | I do n't rise sooner , because 't is the worst thing in the world for the complexion ; nat that I pretend to be a beau ; but a man must endeavour to look wholesome , lest he make so nauseous a figure in the side-bax , the ladies should be compelled to turn their eyes upon the play . |
| 2 | You are , or pretend to be , indifferent to whatever may happen to your reputation . |
| 3 | The Bachelors only pretend to be thrilled . |
| 4 | You could never , as she said , pretend to be one of the boys in a skirt . |
| 5 | How could anything so demonstrably inferior to the real thing ever pretend to be it , and with such potential ( or feared ) success that the parliament of an ‘ advanced western democracy ’ must legislate against it ? |
| 6 | ‘ Those who founded it do not for one moment pretend to be neutral , ’ Lewis confessed . |
| 7 | Here one of them sacrifices for the other : both have trouble falling asleep , and their partner 's noisy breath wakes them ; so they wriggle towards the edge of the bed , leaving a broad space down the middle ; they pretend to be sound asleep , in the hope of making sleep easier for their partner , who will then be able to turn from side to side without disturbing the other . |
| 8 | I mean like royalty do , pretend to be married but do their own thing on the quiet . |
| 9 | He was dying to ask where they were going , but decided to follow Emily 's example and pretend to be unconcerned . |
| 10 | We 'd put on dresses and dance to Abba records and pretend to be Abba and we would prance about the bedroom or lounge singing into hairbrushes . |
| 11 | HOWEVER confident we pretend to be that the Conservatives will be returned with a majority of at least 25 , we must accept the possibility that this gesticulating Welsh oaf will hold centre-stage until such time as the economy , public order and constitution collapse about his ears . |
| 12 | It was a ploy of Lord Darlington 's to stand at this shelf studying the spines of the encyclopedias as I came down the staircase , and sometimes , to increase the effect of an accidental meeting , he would actually pull out a volume and pretend to be engrossed as I completed my descent . |
| 13 | I used to play up to that , pretend to be the lady . |
| 14 | Halfway through a session she invites husband and wife to change chairs and pretend to be each other . |
| 15 | If the organizer calls ‘ lifeboats in fours ’ the children get in groups of four , sit on the floor and pretend to be rowing . |
| 16 | If true love should knock on the door , Ego will coolly slip the bolt and pretend to be out . |
| 17 | ‘ Apart from a few more beers , ’ deadpans Dan , who has n't got any hair at all , and pretend to be unimpressed even by the supremely impressive . |
| 18 | as I pretend to be Ovid |
| 19 | ‘ You could black your face and pretend to be a boot-boy , ’ suggested Richard . |
| 20 | ‘ You have to remember , ’ Ellen liked to lecture Thessy and me , ‘ just how absurdly wealthy they all are , and how desperately the wealthy want to be liked because they ca n't help feeling guilty about being so rich , so we only have to be obsequious , give them loads of booze , and pretend to be impressed by their entirely predictable and usually jejune opinions , after which they 'll reward us with an outrageously large tip — which is , after all , the sole reason for being nice to the ghastly creatures in the first place . ’ |
| 21 | Impressive though he undoubtedly was , if you analyse his career , all he did was put make up on his face and pretend to be somebody else . |
| 22 | The Thick one may be one of two kinds : there are those who are genuinely " thick " and those who pretend to be . |
| 23 | It whirls you round and round , and you get pressed into your seats , and you scream and scream , and pretend to be frightened and you hope you 're sitting next to a boy … ’ |
| 24 | You mean — you pretend to be him , and I ask you questions ! |
| 25 | My films never pretend to be anything but artefacts — they 're unnatural , contrived , fashioned , unrealistic , on purpose . |
| 26 | It 's as if they think I 'm really Firmin and then from time to time I just pretend to be this white man called Charlie . |
| 27 | ‘ What a sweet thing you pretend to be ! |
| 28 | And in like manner buyers will fence , and pretend to be less eager than they really are . |
| 29 | No one could be as ignorant as you pretend to be . ’ |
| 30 | Pretend to be from the employment agency . ’ |