① It was ten or fifteen minutes past eight when she came.

② We had fine weather, but before long it clouded over.

③ How long does it take to drive from here to villa?

④ It was not long before the English family went back to their home in England.

⑤ It was long before I realized that the only thing that mattered to me in the work of art was what I thought about it.

⑥ It seems that his father is very angry.

⑦ It seemed as if the place was not occupied by anyone.

⑧ It was as though he were in search of something.

⑨ It must be that she really loves you.

⑩ Probably in a modern city the man who can distinguish between a thrush’s and a blackbird’s song is the exception. It is not that we have not seen the birds. It is simply that we have not noticed them. We have been surrounded by birds all our lives, yet so feeble is our observation that many of us fail to distinguish the song of one from that of the other.

⑪ It (just so) happened that there was a meeting on that day.

⑫ There is very often a warm interval in February, sometimes a few days earlier and sometimes later, but as a rule it happens that a week or so of mild sunny weather occurs about this time.