Stop saying Im sorry... say THIS instead 17 more advanced alternative phrases STORY LESSON
and everyone and welcome back to english
with Lucy today I have another video
with a hidden story I hid a story in my
last vocabulary video it was the one
about not using I think so the
alternatives for I think and I didn’t
say anything
I hid a story within the lesson and
people went nuts for it
so here we are with another one advice
websites everywhere will tell you to
stop apologising to stop saying I’m
sorry I have got 17 alternatives for you
they’re more advanced most of them are
more advanced some of them are more
formal they are just nicer more elegant
ways of apologizing to people so this
video is going to really help you with
your vocabulary but if you’d like to
improve your pronunciation and your
listening skills even further then I
highly recommend the special method of
combining reading books with listening
to the audiobook version at the same
time it might sound a little bit
complicated but let me explain because
it’s a really really amazing method take
a book that you have already read in
English or a book that you would like to
read in English I’ve got some really
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reading alone will not help you with
your pronunciation English is a very
complicated language it’s not strictly
phonetic the way a word is written or
spelt doesn’t really give you much
indication as to how it is pronounced in
most cases but if you listen to a word
as you read it the next time you see
that word you will know exactly how it’s
pronounced and the next time you hear
that word you’ll know exactly how it’s
spelt or written it’s such an effective
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as well I love to use it to motivate
other students right let’s get started
with the lesson this series of examples
is going to be delivered in the format
of a letter to the CEO of my company
because I’ve made a mistake and I have
to say sorry
so the first alternative way for saying
I’m sorry is I owe you an apology I owe
you an apology an example dear CEO I owe
you an apology for what happened at the
Christmas party
dear CEO I owe you an apology for what
happened at the Christmas party number
two is I take full responsibility for my
actions this one is really quite intense
it’s used in more formal situations like
if you’ve messed up at the workplace an
example I take full responsibility for
my actions I should never have let my
hair down and such an unprofessional way
I take full responsibility for my
actions I should never have let my hair
down in such an unprofessional way now
to let your hair down is to allow
yourself to behave more freely than
usual and enjoy yourself if you say I’m
going to let my hair down tonight it
means I’m going to really enjoy myself
tonight I’m not going to behave in my
usual way the next one is it was wrong
of me or it was wrong on my part
basically means it was my fault
an example I hadn’t actually planned to
attend I just stopped by on the way home
from the pub this was wrong on my part I
hadn’t actually planned to attend I just
stopped by on the way home from the pub
this was wrong on my part this was a bad
decision now number four
you can say I’m sorry but if you would
like to add just a little more emphasis
to emphasize how sorry you really are
you can add so or very or even both of
them how does that work well it’s so
very sorry an example I’m so very sorry
for telling the receptionist that she
looked like a marshmallow her pink
frilly dress was actually very cute I’m
so very sorry for telling the
receptionist that she looked like a
marshmallow her pink frilly dress was
actually very cute if that’s not enough
then you can use number five which is
I’m ever so sorry I’m ever so sorry and
this is a little posh actually an
example I’m ever so sorry for loudly
discussing how low our salaries are this
should have been discussed in private
I’m ever so sorry for loudly discussing
how low our salaries are this should
have been discussed in private now if
that still isn’t enough you can use
terribly or awfully I’m terribly sorry
or I’m awfully sorry an example I’m
awfully sorry for starting a very
successful conga whilst you were trying
to deliver your wonderful yearly
thank-you speech I’m awfully sorry for
starting a very successful conga whilst
you were trying to deliver your
wonderful yearly thank-you speech now
another option is to say that it was
thoughtless or careless of you it was
thoughtless of me
it was careless of me an example it was
completely thoughtless of me to shout
out hey lady this isn’t the Oscars get a
move on when I thought your speech had
gone on a little long it was completely
thoughtless of me to shout out hey lady
get a move on this isn’t the Oscars when
I thought your speech had gone on a
little long
now number eight we can use this one if
we’re trying to be a little more formal
and this is used very commonly in
written communication formal written
communication it is
I sincerely apologize I sincerely
apologize an example I sincerely
apologize for acting so despicably with
your husband I sincerely apologize for
acting so despicably with your husband
if you act despicably then you act
terribly now number nine the beg for
forgiveness I hope you can forgive me I
hope you can forgive me an example I
hope you can forgive me
for pulling your husband onto the dance
floor using his tie I hope you can
forgive me for pulling your husband onto
the dance floor using his tie number ten
if we want to use the passive voice and
make it a little less obvious who we’re
directing with that we can say I hope I
can be forgiven I hope I can be forgiven
an example I hope I can be forgiven for
dragging him onto the buffet table with
me I hope I can be forgiven for dragging
him onto the buffet table with me number
eleven if you want to express that your
your intentions weren’t bad you can say
I didn’t mean to I didn’t mean to an
example I didn’t mean to get sour cream
dip all over his trousers I didn’t mean
to get sour cream dip all over his
trousers or number twelve if you want to
express some regret you can use I
shouldn’t have I have got a lesson on
should have would have and could have or
should or woulda coulda as I like to
call it I’ll put that up in the card and
I’ll also link it down below because
it’s an important lesson especially when
you want to express regret an example I
really shouldn’t have tried to clean the
dip off there and then I really
shouldn’t have tried to clean the dip
off there and then important there and
then is a phrase that I think a lot of
you need to know because I do hear quite
a few students saying in that moment but
we don’t really use that so much we are
more likely to say there and then at
least in British English we use it to
talk about the past but it means
immediately I clean
his trousers immediately I cleaned his
trousers there and then in that moment
number thirteen if I shouldn’t have
isn’t enough then you can just say I
deeply regret I deeply regret this is
very profound an example I deeply regret
telling you to back off and find your
own man when you came over to help I
deeply regret telling you to back off
and find your own man when you came over
to help number 14 is I messed up I
messed up this means I made a huge
mistake
for example I really messed up when I
tried to start a fistfight with you I
really messed up when I tried to start a
fistfight with you number 15 is a
variation on what we had earlier it is I
was in the wrong coming from to be in
the wrong an example when I caught you
in a headlock I was in the wrong when I
caught you in a headlock I was in the
wrong important this is essential
vocabulary a headlock is when you hold
someone’s head by wrapping your arm
around their neck this is very important
vocabulary for you now number 16 when
you’re asking for forgiveness you can
say I really hope you can find it within
you I really hope you can find it within
you to forgive me or whatever an example
I really hope you can find it within you
to drop the assault charges against me I
really hope you can find it within you
to drop the assault charges against me
now to drop charges against someone is
to no longer officially accuse someone
of a crime it’s often used in the
passive voice the charges have been
dropped against him so you don’t know
exactly who has dropped the charges
and number 17 the phrase you should say
at the end of an apology it won’t happen
again
it won’t happen again an example I
really promise it won’t happen again so
can I have my job back I really hope it
won’t happen again so kind of have my
job back
you’re sincerely Lucy right that’s it
for today’s lesson I hope you enjoyed it
I hope you learned something I’ve given
you 17 wonderful alternatives for saying
I’m sorry in English and also some more
vocabulary along the way don’t forget to
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for another lesson
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