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GENERAL ENGLISH · PRACTICAL ENGLISH · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

APOLOGIES,
EXCUSES AND
PROMISES
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1 Warm up

Look at the pictures. What do you think has happened in each one?

picture 1 picture 2 picture 3

Now, look at what these people said after the picture was taken. Choose the best word to describe
the purpose of each phrase: request / apology / excuse / advice / promise / order.

1 ___________________________ 2 ___________________________ 3 ___________________________

Now, answer the questions below.

• What do you think happened next in each situation?
• Have you experienced any of the situations in the pictures? What happened?

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2 Vocabulary

Part A: The phrases on the left are used when somebody does something wrong. Match the phrases
to their correct definitions.

1. apologise for something a. say that you are sorry for something

2. forgive somebody for something b. make something clearer and easier to understand by
giving more details about it
3. make an excuse c. feel sorry or disappointed about something that you
wish could be different
4. blame somebody for something d. say/think that a particular person is responsible for
something bad or wrong that happened
5. explain something e. give a reason or explain why you did something wrong

6. regret something f. stop being angry with someone for something they
have done

Part B: Now complete the sentences below with words from above.

1. Don’t Tom for the mistake. It wasn’t his fault.

2. What did he make for not doing his homework?

3. I not finishing school. I could have a much better job now.

4. I for being late. The traffic was just awful.

5. Daniela’s boss asked her to why she was so late for work.

6. Will you me for forgetting your name again?

Part C: Look at the questions and discuss.

1. When was the last time you had to apologise to somebody? Why?
2. Has someone ever blamed you for a mistake that wasn’t your fault? Did they explain why they
blamed you?
3. Do you find it easy to forgive people?
4. In English, the expression "the dog ate my homework" is an excuse sometimes given jokingly
(instead of giving the real reason). Is there a similar expression in your language? Did you make a
lot of excuses as a child?
5. Do you regret anything that you have done (or haven’t done) recently?

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APOLOGIES, EXCUSES AND PROMISES

3 Listening for general idea

You are going to listen to six short dialogues. Tick the boxes to show where the dialogues take place.

dialogue dialogue dialogue dialogue dialogue dialogue

1 2 3 4 5 6

post
office

train
station

restaurant

office

shop

house

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APOLOGIES, EXCUSES AND PROMISES

4 Listening for detail

Complete the conversations with the words below, then listen again to check your answers.

sure unacceptable happen sincerely actually matter

worry keep never expect course late

Dialogue 1

1
A: I’m so sorry I’m . My train was cancelled so I had to take the bus.
2
B: Oh, that’s OK. I’ve just arrived myself. My train was half an hour late.

Dialogue 2

1
A: I want to apologise for my behaviour during the meeting yesterday. It won’t
again.
2
B: Listen... don’t about it. I know you’ve been under a lot of stress recently.

A: Thank you for your understanding, but I feel terrible. I’ll buy the coffee for the whole team for
the rest of the week!

Dialogue 3

A: Excuse me. Who ordered the soup?

B: Me!

A: I’m afraid we don’t have any left. I’m sorry for my mistake.
1
B: Oh mind. In that case I’ll have the salad please.
2
A: Of . I’ll remove your drinks from the bill.

B: Thank you, we really appreciate that.

Dialogue 4

1
A: Sorry to you waiting. The store manager is with another customer at the
moment.
2
B: This really is . I can’t wait here all day.

A: He’ll be with you as soon as he can madam.

Dialogue 5

A: I’m really sorry about the mess I made! I’ll go and get the vacuum cleaner.
1
B: Oh, it doesn’t .
2
A: Are you your husband won’t mind?

B: He isn’t here. He won’t be back until tomorrow.

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Dialogue 6

1
A: We apologise for losing your parcel sir.
2
B: I’m afraid that’s not good enough! I some sort of refund.

A: I understand sir. You will receive a 20% discount on your next order.

5 Focus on grammar
Look at the dialogues and highlight all the phrases which use the words sorry and apologise.

Now fill in the table to show which structures are possible for each expression. Please note that
not every possible structure is contained in the dialogue.

noun verb + ing infinitive + to subject + verb

(be) sorry
about +

(be) sorry +

(be) sorry for +

apologise for +

Which apologies seem more formal? Why?

Find four expressions in the dialogues which are used to accept an apology.

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1. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Find two expressions in the dialogues which show the speaker does not accept an apology.

1. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Find promises in the dialogues.

1. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

What structure is used for promises?

....................................................................................................

6 Practice 1
Match the apologies with the promises below.

1. I apologise for breaking your window.

2. I apologise for not informing you about the change of lesson time.

3. I’m sorry for not calling you today.

4. I’m sorry - I left your dictionary at home.

5. Sorry about the mess I made in your kitchen.

6. Sorry for losing the book you lent me.

a. I’ll buy you a new one.

b. I’ll give you a ring first thing tomorrow.

c. I’ll pay for the damage.

d. I will make sure to contact you if it happens again.

e. I’ll clean it up.

f. I won’t forget to bring it next time.

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Now, look at the pictures. What has happened? Who will be responsible for making an apology?

picture 1 picture 2

picture 3 picture 4

picture 5 picture 6

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7 Practice 2

In pairs, practise the following situations.

• Situation 1

a. Student A: You borrowed and lost student B’s coursebook. Apologise and promise action.

b. Student B: Decide if student A should be forgiven.

• Situation 2

a. Student B: Student A has blamed you for eating a sandwich that they left in the fridge.
Explain why it wasn’t you.
b. Student A: React to student B’s explanation.

• Situation 3

a. Student B: You didn’t arrive for a meeting that you had arranged with student A. Apologise
and make an excuse.
b. Student A: Decide if student B should be forgiven.

• Situation 4

a. Student A: Student B has blamed you for moving their chair. Explain why it wasn’t you.

b. Student B: React to student A’s explanation.

• Situation 5

a. Student A: You saw student B at a party, but you didn’t say hello. Apologise and make an
excuse.
b. Student B: Decide if student A should be forgiven.

• Situation 6

a. Student B: You accidentally stepped on student B’s mobile phone and damaged it.
Apologise, make an excuse and promise action.
b. Student A: Decide if student B should be forgiven.

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8 Optional extension

Put the conversations in the correct order.

Conversation 1

I’m so sorry for arriving late this morning.

I was stuck in a traffic jam on the bridge. I really regret not taking the train!

Don’t worry about it. What happened?

Oh, don’t blame yourself. We’re all late sometimes.

Thanks for your understanding. It won’t happen tomorrow.

Conversation 2

I’m afraid that really isn’t a good enough excuse. You knew how important it was to me!

I know. It’s just that my boss asked me to stay late...

I’m so sorry. I’ll definitely be at your next presentation. I promise.

Don’t blame your boss. You knew about it for months.

I’m sorry I missed your presentation last night. You see, I had to stay late at work.

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Transcripts

3. Listening for general idea

Dialogue : 1

A: I’m so sorry I’m late. My train was cancelled so I had to take the bus.

B: Oh, that’s OK. I’ve actually just arrived myself. My train was half an hour late.

Dialogue : 2

A: I want to apologise for my behaviour during the meeting yesterday. It won’t happen again.

B: Listen... don’t worry about it. I know you’ve been under a lot of stress recently.

A: Thank you for your understanding, but I feel terrible. I’ll buy the coffee for the whole
team for the rest of the week!

Dialogue : 3

A: Excuse me. Who ordered the soup?

B: Me!

A: I’m afraid we don’t have any left. I’m sorry for my mistake.

B: Oh never mind. In that case I’ll have the salad please.

A: Of course. I’ll remove your drinks from the bill.

B: Thank you, we really appreciate that.

Dialogue : 4

A: Sorry to keep you waiting. The store manager is with another customer at the moment.

B: This really is unacceptable. I can’t wait here all day.

A: He’ll be with you as soon as he can madam.

Dialogue : 5

A: I’m really sorry about the mess I made! I’ll go and get the vacuum cleaner.

B: Oh, it doesn’t matter.

A: Are you sure your husband won’t mind?

A: He isn’t here. He won’t be back until tomorrow.

Dialogue : 6

A: We sincerely apologise for losing your parcel sir.

B: I’m afraid that’s not good enough! I expect some sort of refund.

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A: I understand sir. You will receive a 20% discount on your next order.

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APOLOGIES, EXCUSES AND PROMISES

Key

1. Warm up

5 mins.
Encourage students to talk as much as possible about the pictures.
Example answers
Picture 1: It looks like the boy has done something wrong and someone is unhappy with him. Maybe he broke
something. Maybe he (or his parents) will apologise and offer to repair the damage.
Picture 2: It looks like the woman didn’t hear her alarm clock or it didn’t go off. She’s going to be late now. Maybe
she’ll get a taxi.
Picture 3: It looks like the woman’s car has broken down. She’s probably on the phone to a mechanic. Maybe the
mechanic will come to repair the car or take it to the garage.
Words to describe the purpose of each phrase
1. promise; 2. apology; 3. excuse

2. Vocabulary

10 mins.
Encourage students to complete the exercise without using a dictionary. Monitor the discussion in part C and
check that they are using the target vocabulary correctly.
Part A

1. → a. 2. → f. 3. → e. 4. → d. 5. → b. 6. → c.
Part B

1. blame 2. excuse 3. regret 4. apologise 5. explain 6. forgive

3. Listening for general idea

3 mins.
Students can work alone and check in pairs. Play the audio file or use your mobile device to scan the QR code
Tick the boxes
dialogue 1 - train station; dialogue 2 - office; dialogue 3 - restaurant; dialogue 4 - shop; dialogue 5 - house; dialogue
6 - post office.

4. Listening for detail

3 mins.
Students can work alone and check in pairs. Elicit answers and encourage practice.
Dialogue 1

1. late 2. actually
Dialogue 2

1. happen 2. worry

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Dialogue 3

1. never 2. course
Dialogue 4

1. keep 2. unacceptable
Dialogue 5

1. matter 2. sure
Dialogue 6

1. sincerely 2. expect

5. Focus on grammar

Fill in the table

(be) sorry about + noun / verb + ing
(be) sorry + infinitive (with to) / subject + verb
(be) sorry for + noun / verb + ing
apologise for + noun / verb + ing
Speaker accepts an apology

1. That’s OK 2. Never mind 3. Don’t worry about it 4. It doesn’t matter.

Speaker does not accept an apology

1. I’m afraid that’s not good enough! 2. This really is unacceptable.

Other promises in the dialogues

1. I’ll remove your drinks from the bill. 2. He’ll be with you as soon as he can madam.
3. You will receive a 20% discount on your next order. 4. I’ll buy the coffee for the whole team for the rest of
the week!
What structure is used for promises?
The future simple tense (will / won’t)

6. Practice 1

10 mins
Monitor and check students are using the different structures correctly. Encourage them to use as many different
structures as possible and consider how formal the apologies would be in these situations.
Matching exercise

1. → c. 2. → d. 3. → b. 4. → f. 5. → e. 6. → a.
Pictures
Picture 1: There has been a car accident. The person at fault will apologise.
Picture 2: A parcel has arrived damaged. The delivery company will apologise to the customer.
Picture 3: A flight has been cancelled. The airline will apologise to the passenger.
Picture 4: A dog has made a mess. The dog’s owner will apologise.
Picture 5. The woman was supposed to meet someone at a restaurant, but they didn’t come. The other person
will apologise.

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Picture 6: The woman has spilt coffee on a laptop. She will apologise to the owner of the laptop.

7. Practice 2

5 mins
Monitor and check students are using the different structures correctly. Encourage them to use as many different
structures as possible and consider how formal the apologies would be in these situations.

8. Optional extension

5 mins
Students reorder the dialogues individually. Elicit the correct order from the students and then encourage them
to practise the dialogues in pairs
Conversation 1

I’m so sorry for arriving late this morning.

Don’t worry about it. What happened?
I was stuck in a traffic jam on the bridge. I really regret not taking the train!
Oh, don’t blame yourself. We’re all late sometimes.
Thanks for your understanding. It won’t happen tomorrow.
Conversation 2

I’m sorry I missed your presentation last night. You see, I had to stay late at work.
I’m afraid that really isn’t a good enough excuse. You knew how important it was to me!
I know. It’s just that my boss asked me to stay late...
Don’t blame your boss. You knew about it for months.
I’m so sorry. I’ll definitely be at your next presentation. I promise.

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