Manchester, I find it peculiarly annoying to have startling assertions flung at me and then not subsequently elaborated or justified.

Her startling assertion is made mainly on the basis of a three-year research project carried out by her for the Centre For Social and Moral Education.

As Nicholas Bakalar wrote: "Canadian researchers have made a startling assertion: parents take better care of pretty children than they do ugly ones."

Parents would certainly deny it, but Canadian researchers have made a startling assertion: parents take better care of pretty children than they do ugly ones.

It ends with the startling assertion that "a third of a pint of whisky" - diluted - will "often do wonders for a tired working horse".

They make the following startling assertion: "Voters don't want to return to authoritarian Congresses amd collapsed one-term Presidencies.

I was good enough not to contradict this startling assertion.

Pilru, who had developed his diplomatic skills over the years, managed not to show surprise at the startling assertion.

This startling, flat-footed assertion is the equivalent of declaring the Bible to be America's sole, official, governmentally sanctioned Holy Book.

During the interview Ballen made the startling assertion that he believed "China and its system of governance [had] positively redefined social justice".