In fact, as he looked, he could make out a rift, and beyond that a ...
He was looking to try to decipher what was there, and he was able to see that there was a rift.
The sandstorm was too severe, and he could not see anything beyond about a foot in front of him.
They wouldn't
The chef is not wearing a hair net
A woman is out jogging.
A biker is doing a jump.
All maintenance work was meticulously record and followed over the past several years.
I couldn't be bothered doing that, wouldn't have mattered.