Unit 2: English In A Minute
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Session 30
People in the UK like saying ‘sorry’ a lot! Learn different ways of apologising with Sam in this English In A Minute.
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- 0 / 3Activity 1
Activity 1
Ways to say 'sorry' part 1
People in the UK like saying ‘sorry’ a lot! Learn different ways of apologising with Sam in this English In A Minute.
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Sam
Hi, I'm Sam from BBC Learning English.
People in the UK have a reputation for saying sorry a lot, so let's have a look at different ways you can use to do this.
So:
- You can say sorry
- You can be sorry
- And you can apologise
In each case, you use the preposition to with a person and for to give the reason you're apologising:
I said sorry to my friend for forgetting her birthday.
After for you can use a gerund or a noun.
But if you want a simple statement to say I was wrong, you can use any of these.
Careful who you say these to – my bad! is very informal and you would probably only say it after making a small mistake.
It won’t happen again is probably better in more serious situations.
Ways to say 'sorry' - part 1
There are different ways you can use to express your apologies.
- You can say sorry
- You can be sorry
- You can apologise
You use the preposition to with a person to say who you are apologising to.
You use the preposition for to give the reason you are apologising. After for you can use a gerund or a noun.
- I said sorry to my friend for breaking his vase.
- I apologised to Bob for the mess.
If you want a simple statement to say 'I was wrong', you can use any of these:
- My bad!
- My mistake.
- My apologies.
- It’s all my fault.
- Please forgive me.
- I take full responsibility.
- It won’t happen again.
Careful who you say these to – my bad! is very informal and you would probably only say it after making a small mistake.
It won’t happen again is probably better in more serious situations.
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Which preposition do we use here?Question 1 of 3
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Which preposition do we use here?Question 2 of 3
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When do we normally say 'my bad'?Question 3 of 3
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