Nora had a watch, but from someone else the time sounded so awful.

You sound so awful, they must know you're making fun of them.

His mother sounded pretty awful, perhaps she would take a dislike to her son's wife.

I hope this doesn't sound awful, but we've been asking some questions about you.

This is going to sound awful, but there's no way to get around it.

This may not sound like a disaster, but it sounds awful to me.

I suppose that sounds awful, but I'm too tired to care.

Other people - I'm inclined to include myself in this camp - think it sounds awful.

"Sometimes the real meaning may sound awful for native speakers, but good to Japanese."

I know that sounds pretty awful, but for me at least, it's a whole lot better than giving up completely.