Apology and explanation
Useful sentences
I apologize.
I must apologize.
Pardon me.
I am truly sorry.
I beg your pardon?
A thousand pardons for it.
I just don’t know what to say.
I am afraid of brought you too much trouble.
It was most careless of me.
It was really quite unintentional.
I apologize for what I’ve said just now.
Excuse me, I will be right back.
Excuse me, you have to give me a minute.
I am afraid I have to leave you for a while.
I wonder if I might be excuse for a moment.
It was all my fault.
I hope you will forgive me for this.
What a pity I left it at home
I am to blame, I should have thought of that.
Actually, I meant to notify you beforehand.
I must have caused you a lot of inconvenience.
Please forgive me, I didn’t mean to start a fight.
We regret we are unable to accept your proposal.
I was only trying to tell you what was on my mind.
I am sorry if I have caused any problems.
I take full responsibilities for my actions.
I can explain what happened.
Never mind about that.
It doesn’t matter at all.
Please don’t take it too hard
While, it’s just one of those things.
There is no need for you to worry in the least.
Thank you for your understanding.
Situational conversations
Dialogue one I was caught up in a traffic jam
A: I am sorry, I am late, I was caught up in a traffic jam.
B: Poor you.
A: Have you been waiting long?
B: No, I just got here.
Dialogue two it’s no big deal
A: I am so sorry Mr. Green.
B: what is it?
A: I have just spilled my coffee on your gloves.
B: Don’t worry about it, it’s no big deal.
Dialogue three Am I the last guest to arrive
A: Sorry to be late, am I the last guest to arrive?
B: Yes, VIPs always are, so it’s quite alright, and you are very important person at this party.
A: Oh, please, don’t.
B: I was just kidding, now let me introduce you to Mr. Wars.
Dialogue four I own you an apology
A: I own you an apology Mr. Green.
B: What do you mean?
A: I am terribly sorry that I yield at you in the team meeting last Thursday.
B: Oh, that, please forget it, I know you don’t mean to do that.
A: That’s very kind of you to say so.
Dialogue five I have been waiting for one hour
A: I have been waiting for Mr. Cook for one hour.
B: I am sorry, but he is still in a meeting.
A: While, how much longer do you think it will be?
B: He should finish soon.
Dialogue six I forgot to get it fixed
A: Is the overhead projector ready for the presentation
B: Oh, sorry, I forgot to get it fixed.
A: But I told you to have someone to fix it weeks ago.
B: I know, I am so sorry, the meeting totally slipped my mind, I have been so busy that I didn’t have time to call the repairman.
A: I don’t want to see this happen again.
B: I don’t know what to say. Let me go and see if I could borrow one.
Dialogue seven this report is unacceptable
A: I want to talk to you about this report you gave to me.
B: Anything wrong?
A: well, I found quite a few spelling mistakes here.
B: Oh, I do beg your pardon.
A: This report is unacceptable
B: I know, I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I was so careless, what shall I do now?
A: You have got to retype this entire report.
B: I will do it right away.
A: Please make sure it doesn’t happen again.
B: It won’t, I promise.
Dialogue eight it was entirely my fault
A: Helen, I missed my meeting this afternoon.
B: What meeting?
A: The meeting that you were supposed to remind me of.
B: Oh, my…I completely forgot.
A: Do you have a good excuse?
B: It was entirely my fault.
A: I should have reminded you.
B: This would be better not happen again, I expect you to do better in the future.
A: Thank you for understanding.