- Sorry.
- I'm (so / very / terribly) sorry.
- Ever so sorry.
- How stupid / careless / thoughtless of me.
- Pardon (me)
- That's my fault.
- Sorry. It was all my fault.
- Please excuse my (ignorance)
- Please don't be mad at me.
- Please accept our (sincerest) apologies.
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- Phrase 1 is a general short apology. We use this when we bump into people on the street. At other times, it sounds too weak.
- In phrase 2, we use 'so', 'very' and 'terribly' to make the meaning stronger. 'Terribly' is the strongest. If we use one of the words in brackets, it is stressed.
- Phrase 3 is quite formal but it's a stronger apology than just 'sorry'.
- We use phrase 4 to criticise ourselves and the mistake that we have just made.
- We use phrases 6 and 7 to take all the responsibility for what happened. Phrase 7 is a little stronger.
- We use phrase 8 to apologise for our lack of knowledge or ability. We can replace the word in brackets with other nouns, e.g. carelessness, forgetfulness.
- Phrase 9 is asking the other person not to get angry. The tone is quite informal.
- Phrase 10 is often used in formal letters. The word 'sincerest' makes the apology very strong and very formal.
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