Does the collocation "to have a bad sleep" exist? For example, will it be grammaticaly correct if I use it in the sentence "He had a bad sleep last night and was not able to wake up on time"?
1
-
I would not use the phrase in this context because I understand it to mean "did not sleep well" and so waking would not be a problem. Perhaps "he slept heavily and was not able to wake up on time."– Weather VaneCommented Oct 19, 2020 at 12:22
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
No, the normal way to say this is "He slept badly last night." I have never heard the construction "to have a bad sleep", and I don't think a native speaker would ever use it.
Edited to add: user121863's answer has convinced me that this construction is now being used by (presumably) native speakers. I am surprised, but I must accept the evidence.
-
But note that the opposite situation can be idiomatically described as He had a good [night's] sleep, as well as He slept well. Commented Oct 19, 2020 at 11:48
-
-
1Yes, @HotLicks. That is part of the evidence that I am referring to, already linked in user121863's answer.– TonyKCommented Oct 19, 2020 at 12:32
-
The question was closed on an apparent general reference issue... Commented Oct 19, 2020 at 12:41
Though not a common collocation, to have a bad sleep, (on the calque of “have a good sleep“) appears to show increasing usage instances from the ‘90s, at least according to Google Books. The more common expression, though, is “to sleep badly”.
See some usage examples here
answered Oct 19, 2020 at 12:09
-
-
@TonyK - well, if “a good sleep” works, why should a bad one not. Commented Oct 19, 2020 at 12:23