It was a gradual thing over time.

It was a gradual thing, assisted by the fact that I went training on Sunday mornings.

"A lot of family people are saying it was a gradual thing," she said.

That it could be a gradual thing, or all at once.

It'd been a gradual thing, this wanting, and until now, he'd been adept at keeping it under control.

I told her this is something that has to be done as a gradual thing.

"Last year was a gradual thing," he said.

I'd expected it to be a gradual thing, a thick mass of stars thinning out into the arms.

"It's a gradual thing, but people have become more private."

It's a very gradual thing, you see, this rhythm of the seasons.