1.   There was complete silence.

2.   There was an ominous silence.

3.   There was a short, ominous silence.

4.   A small, mountainous country with a population of under three million people, it has long been free from colonial domination.

5.   Ames had long been erratic and unhappy in his professional and personal lives.

6.   And liberals have long been accustomed to expect the poor to speak in the resounding tones of a vast majority.

7.   Animal behaviour has long been a focus of interest for scientists.

8.   Apple computers have long been standard equipment in the graphics and photographic industry.

9.   Broadway has long been the heartbeat of popular music and the source of countless classics.