Adjective complement with noun phrase

• find: Do you find people principally pathetic or absurd, would you say?

Modifies a noun

• fallacy: I've always been a big fan of the pathetic fallacy, unlike Ruskin, who coined the term.

• excuse: She offers pathetic excuses for not staying in touch with her friend.

• attempt: Trust me Felix, the only thing I want to do is laugh at your pathetic attempts to defraud me.

• remnant: Those with living livestock hurried about tending the pathetic remnants of their herds with cloth over their noses to keep out the smell.

• creature: Even the police must have been affected by the plight of this pathetic little creature!

• joke: Your Comments I would appreciate it if you did not use my name in your pathetic jokes.

Modifying Another Word

• frankly: And finally the " they haven't visited argument " is frankly pathetic.

• utterly: And diving in World Cup games is utterly pathetic.

• rather: I haven't seen you looking pale yet - I should think you might look rather pathetic!

• pretty: He said: " I think their music is pretty pathetic.

• absolutely: I started to see the first Christmas things at the end of October which is absolutely pathetic.

• truly: This is truly pathetic, not to say hypocritical.

Infinitive complement

• see: Lt Col Sharples said: " It was really pathetic to see them.

Used with adjective complement

• seem: He seemed so pathetic, an unconscious man tied to a radiator.

• look: In the visitors ' room she tells him he looks pathetic dressing younger than his age.

• sound: I hear what you are saying about feeling like you think you sound pathetic etc.. .

• feel: Feeling completely pathetic, I managed to inch my way out of the cave, taking a final ' hit ' on the way.

• get: Why You should stay away: His excuses for not showing up are getting more pathetic.

Preposition: in

• comparison: My glass of mineral water looks a bit pathetic in comparison.