The phrase "a dreadful example" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that serves as a poor or negative illustration of a particular point or behavior.
Example: "The report highlighted a dreadful example of negligence that led to the accident."
Alternatives: "a terrible instance" or "a poor illustration".
SEEN one way, Poland is a dreadful example of how central Europe is going wrong.
As a dreadful example, Kundera proffers "a huge 800-page book on Bertolt Brecht," without naming it and its academician author ("Brecht and Company," by John Fuegi).
Peter Burt of Nuclear Information Service, who obtained the papers, told the Guardian: "The UK and US are setting a dreadful example to the rest of the world by renewing the MDA, and are seriously undermining the credibility of international efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons".
Mr Campbell told the Independent: "I saw the story yesterday, and while you read awful benefit-sanctions stories like this every day now, it seemed an especially dreadful example.
The problem, though, is that the dreadful example of Iraq obscures the real picture regarding Syria.
Thus did many of the scolds who bemoaned the dreadful example set by Monicagate for the American people's children make no mention whatsoever of children in Judigate -- neither the American people's nor the Giulianis' own.
The retro ballparks arrived on the scene as an unmistakable reaction to the dozen or so multipurpose stadiums that had opened in the 1960's and 70's and rank among the more dreadful examples of late-modernist American architecture.
Sure, he had help from the dreadful examples of his predecessor's work on Katrina, Iraq, torture and the TARP bailout.
Some funds put in a dreadful performance; for example, Goldman Sachs's Global Alpha fund lost 38% on the year.The problem seemed to be that if you set computers to analyse the same set of data, they are likely to come up with similar investment strategies.
It picked out an example — the way Major had exposed "a dreadful piece of doublespeak from Tony Blair," then the Labour Party's employment spokesman.
Even an encouraging example from last season, when the team overcame a dreadful start to play well for four months, is no help.
