1.   Coughs and colds and minor ailments began to seem poor substitutes for the wounds everybody had been expecting when the bombs fell.

2.   I used to eat Bourbon biscuits and Custard Creams in similar ways, though they were just poor substitutes for custard tarts.

3.   Many easterners see these ideas as a poor substitute for concessions on trade, but welcome them as a step towards membership.

4.   That was the most she could ever be, a poor substitute for the child he had lost.

5.   The muffin is tasteless, being a very poor substitute for bread, which is served on the Continent.

6.   Unity of ambition is a poor substitute for unity of vision.

7.   We also showed how the indiscriminate use of praise is a poor substitute for positive and specific feedback.

8.   They found their local bus service a poor substitute.

9.   And in a field where creativity is often ignited by face-to-face contact, the phone is a poor substitute.