Grammar fix
poor health
bad health
A state of not being healthy, often because of illness, weakness, or unhealthy habits.
collocationB1common
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- After years of working long hours and not exercising, he found himself in poor health.health
- If people have poor health, they may find it difficult to work or enjoy daily activities, which can affect their quality of life.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: in poor health; have poor health; suffer from poor health
WrongHe has a poor health.
RightHe's in poor health.
'In poor health' (no 'a') or 'have poor health'.
Patternin poor health; have poor health; suffer from poor health
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Suboptimal physical wellbeing' is jargon; 'in poor health' is the set phrase.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
poor healthin poor healthdue to poor healthpoor healthill health
Don't confuse it
Contrast with 'good health', which means being healthy and well.