Adjective complement with noun phrase

• do: Yes, it does smell particularly dreadful, but there is a belief in the orient that it is a good slipperiness additive.

Modifying Another Word

• truly: Some are good, some are mediocre, some are truly dreadful.

• absolutely: Which leads on to the most obvious bit of all, the ref was absolutely dreadful.

• pretty: And there are some pretty dreadful tracks here, let's not mess about.

• quite: On a line that's supposed to run once every eight minutes - quite dreadful LU, please take note.

• simply: In the second half, Burnley were simply dreadful.

• so: Am I so dreadful, so hateful to ' ee?

Infinitive complement

• think: It's dreadful to think what could have happened - people can be killed by bad reactions to nuts.

Modifies a noun

• calamity: It was not for long, however; for a month or two later a dreadful calamity fell upon Marija.

• mess: This morning, the kitchen was still a dreadful mess after cooking for friends yesterday evening.

• plight: The rescue of these two in their dreadful plight now needed the very acme of mountaineering skill.

• fate: How am I to go through with my dreadful fate?

• rebate: Are you still facing dreadful mail-in rebates without a coatch?

• mistake: What a dreadful mistake for a " professional " lecturer to make!

Used with adjective complement

• feel: I was very hungover, I just felt dreadful.

• sound: Em your colleagues sound dreadful, you have my sympathy!

• look: If the alloys have a chrome finish they can cost a fortune to get refurbished but look dreadful when scratched.

• seem: It seems dreadful to discuss the conduct of one's wife with two men whom I have never seen before.

• write: SB great at the reading and ringing bits, but finds writing dreadful.

• have: And I hear you can't drink the water and the waiters have dreadful, roving hands.