Example sentences of "had been [adj] for " in BNC.

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1 Even the Darwinian theory of evolution was impressive , not because the concept of evolution was new — it had been familiar for decades — but because it provided for the first time a satisfactory explanatory model for the origin of species , and did so in terms which were entirely familiar even to non-scientists , since they echoed the most familiar concept of the liberal economy , competition .
2 Polly 's bright cotton skirt and sleeveless white broderie anglaise top had been perfect for shopping in the balmy warmth .
3 Now , late on Sunday afternoon , people were saying that the weather had been perfect for both days of the two-day Show .
4 It had originally been left to her by a noted amateur ornithologist and eccentric with whom she had been friendly for many years .
5 Generally , the products were made of plane/sycamore wood that had been seasoned for about 6 months .
6 He had found a niche at once with the men , but she told Julia that she had been unhappy for months , struggling with the other women to force local villagers to disgorge food , humping it back up to the camp and preparing it under extraordinarily difficult conditions .
7 But there was humour in her tone , and a sparkle in her lovely eyes , and the mouth that had been unhappy for so long now curved in a smile .
8 Compact disc technology had been available for some time , but the quadraphonic experiment had failed and videotape technology was in something of an impasse .
9 No recording of Jenkins 's music had been available for years before the Thorofon CD , and now this Astrée issue comes onto the market , as if to underline how huge a gap in the recorded repertoire that was .
10 With this scene of confusion before his eyes it seems unlikely that he would have contemplated using any wheeled transport , even supposing that it had been available for his use at the time .
11 When we entered the local office to add yet more to my daughter 's investments , the helpful cashier advised us to switch from her existing account , requiring 90 days ’ notice of withdrawals to an instant access ‘ Prime Gold ’ account which had been available for some time , and in fact paid higher interest .
12 ( Prior to World War I , where gas had been available for cooking , it was often used only for the Sunday dinner . )
13 He did not explain why the CIA had waited until December 1990 , to draw this conclusion when the ‘ proof had been available for at least a year , nor did he explain why no advance warning based on this report , reliable or not , had been passed down the line to those responsible for airline security .
14 Small dedicated games units had been available for some time but had always had only crude multimedia capabilities .
15 Neighbours claimed the children 's mother , Sharon Dawson , had been unwell for months .
16 He had been unwell for some time and had now gone into a state of collapse .
17 The weather had been dry for some time and , fanned by an easterly wind , the fire spread rapidly until , within three days , it had engulfed most of the city .
18 He had been dry for the past twenty years .
19 It had been dry for weeks , but there were thunderheads over against the mountains and the atmosphere was heavy with the hint of rain .
20 Paula had been dry for almost a year before the taxi fracas .
21 All the goals I 'd met so far — O-levels , A-levels , university — had been pre-planned for me .
22 From the head 's point of view , the library had been underfunded for some time with an annual capitation of some £860 , supplemented ( not always willingly ) by a 5% levy on the capitation of each department .
23 Many of the debts sued for , all undefended , had been outstanding for three , four , five and six years , or even for a longer period .
24 When several of us got down there the CO informed us that we had to fly down the Gulf to look for an Imperial Airways airliner , one of those Armstrong Whitworth Argosys which was named City of Glasgow , and had been overdue for sometime .
25 The world of secondary schools was one from which I had been absent for eight years and it had in the mean time greatly expanded , so that the new secondary modern schools now occupied most — although not necessarily the most strategically important — territory .
26 Indeed , as administrator Myra Hickey points out , when the Labour council was elected in 1986 one of its manifesto commitments had been to bring back the festival which had been absent for the previous two years owing to the council reclaiming its original site .
27 When he returned to the Gold Coast he had been absent for 12 years : he had departed far too young to have made any mark .
28 The laughter had been absent for a while , but it had not withdrawn far from him , the marks of its permanent habitation were still there .
29 Had he not been she might have telephoned him instead of Nick , when she had been desperate for company .
30 When , as a child , he had been desperate for her love , and had offered his own , she had always turned away from him .
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