1. She was at pains to stress the benefits of the scheme.

2. She was at pains to point out that she was no newcomer to the area.

3. Roy was at pains to point out that English was the only exam he'd ever failed.

4. She is at pains to point out how much work she has done.

5. Mobil is at pains to point out that the chances of an explosion at the site are remote.

6. I have been at pains to emphasize the positive aspects of discipline.

7. She is at pains to stress the cultural differences between the two countries.

8. I was at pains to show how and why.

9. Officials were at pains to point out that it was focused on resolving border disputes and promoting trade.

10. In a sense this was false, as recent historians have been at pains to prove.

11. Mrs Henessy was at pains to say that she was fighting for a principle, not just for financial compensation.

11.

12. These he is at pains to hide in order to promote the fiction of his rise from rags to riches.

13. A year on they acknowledge the problems, but are at pains to defend the good name of their community.

14. Designers have been at pains to ensure the Cornmill is not just a covered shopping mall.

15. The U.S. military has been at pains not to offend its Muslim host.

16. You can't do, not when you've been at pains to tell me what rubbish all this astrological mumbo-jumbo is.

17. They are at pains to insist that they are not called to be a denomination.

18. This is a misconception that forest ecologists have for years been at pains to correct, but to little avail.

19. She taught in a racially mixed school and was at pains to correct simple stereotypes and unthinking prejudices.

20. She was at pains to tell me - several times - that her male friends were divided into two groups.