of poor quality

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   Not good enough; badly made or below an acceptable standard.

   Grammar: Follows linking verbs like 'be', 'seem', 'look': 'The service was of poor quality.'

   Patterns

   • be of poor quality
   • seem of poor quality
   • goods of poor quality

   The hotel was of poor quality, so we asked for our money back.

   Customers complained that the materials were of poor quality.

   The report said the water was of poor quality and unsafe to drink.

2. 2phrasefixed phrase

   Used after a noun to describe something that is badly made or not satisfactory.

   Grammar: Comes after the noun it describes: 'a product of poor quality'.

   Patterns

   • a product of poor quality
   • goods of poor quality
   • work of poor quality

   They returned a product of poor quality to the store.

   The company was criticized for selling goods of poor quality.

   He was dismissed for doing work of poor quality.

Common combinations

be of poor quality

The sound on the recording was of poor quality.

goods of poor quality

The market was full of goods of poor quality.

of poor quality workmanship

The furniture was of poor quality workmanship.

seem of poor quality

The fabric seemed of poor quality, so I didn't buy it.

Synonyms and how they differ

inferior

A more formal adjective meaning 'not as good as something else'; it often suggests a comparison.

shoddy

An informal, disapproving adjective for something badly made; stronger and more judgmental than 'of poor quality'.

substandard

A formal adjective meaning 'below the required standard'; it often suggests an official judgment.

Opposites

Commonly confused: of poor quality or poor?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “of poor quality”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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