Example sentences of "could have [vb pp] a " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | If only she could have waved a magic wand to turn the fat girl into a raving beauty . |
| 2 | She understood why Johnny had felt saddened when he had learned of their passing , and she smiled briefly as she recalled that she had never found the courage to tell him of the passing of that Empire , too — fearing that such knowledge could have precipitated an apoplectic fit ! |
| 3 | Some moment when she , as a child , was on the verge of doing something wrong , and he could have fulfilled a father 's role and made her do it . |
| 4 | Nothing could have prepared a loyal , loving wife for such shocks . |
| 5 | Those huge hobnailed boots could have kicked a hole in Berkeley Castle . |
| 6 | She could have kicked a dog . |
| 7 | The difficulty here is best demonstrated when Honderich , analyzing the notion that Conservatism is a ‘ defence of the familiar ’ , argues that if this were central to Conservatism ‘ we should have a mystery on our hands , the mystery of how an egregious idiocy could have become a large political tradition ’ . |
| 8 | Had it continued , however , the rebel university could have become a rival establishment to both Oxford and Cambridge . |
| 9 | Had he been caught or had he panicked he could well have been in very serious trouble : the charming young tearaway could have become a court case . |
| 10 | Commitment to the war could have become a problem in itself as the chances of victory became remote . |
| 11 | In fact , hindsight leads one to suggest that Jimmy came to the Palace 20 years too soon — he could have become an inspiration in Malcolm Allison 's footballing team of the mid-1970s . |
| 12 | He could have become an Olympic long-jump champion , as he 'd once broken the world record . |
| 13 | ‘ I can hardly believe , ’ he found himself saying , ‘ that someone like me could have become an … er … |
| 14 | It 's doubtful that the on-board DME was in error since there were two on board and the pilots could have suspected a malfunction were the readings substantially different . |
| 15 | Hope looked keenly at the man , held his gaze a moment — a glance which could have ruled a line straight from eye to eye — and then snapped to attention . |
| 16 | The amount involved could have funded a dozen or so investigations of the social implications of the reduced rail network , or it could have kept open one of Serpell 's threatened stations — Stratford-upon-Avon , for example — for a year . |
| 17 | Hatton could have done a nice little distracting job there . |
| 18 | I knew so many rotters before him , I could have done a degree in them . |
| 19 | She always said she could have done a better job running the place than the Director or his boss , Controller Establishment Research and Nuclear . |
| 20 | I was n't very happy with my legal representation ; in fact , I think I could have done a better job myself . |
| 21 | As Merrill looked at him questioningly , he went on , ‘ Knowing , by then , just how you felt about the circumstances of Elise 's death , you could have done a lot of damage . ’ |
| 22 | Yep The Don was crap — I could have done a better job . |
| 23 | No-one can argue against or overstate what Sgt Wilko has done in this area , that 's why I believe no-one around could have done a better job , and why he is the best man for the future too . |
| 24 | that you could have done a bit more last year |
| 25 | I could have done a little the papers let them off of the hook for years ! |
| 26 | Had the Home Office research shown that the majority of offences within reported crime were thought to be committed by people on probation , under SSD supervision , or on community programmes , one could have understood a post-trial response . |
| 27 | Oh I 'm alright do n't worry about me I 'm , they , the person at home , their family must be told as well as you making a note in your accident book that there has been somebody with a knock on the head however mi minor it is , it 's got to be reported , because that knock could have repercussions , it could have broken a small vessel in the brain , it could still be bleeding and that is when compression takes over . |
| 28 | I could have called a policeman . |
| 29 | ‘ But if Mellor had not disputed our bill we could have survived a few more months in the hope that we would sell several houses on our books . ’ |
| 30 | You could have built a substantial career . ’ |