PE-98: Making Excuses, Apologising and Explaining
Sorry for being late — the grammar of apologies, the tenses that make an excuse believable, and how to accept an apology graciously.
PE-98: Making Excuses, Apologising and Explaining
You will need this lesson more often than you would like. Being late, forgetting something, missing a deadline — every language has a script for it, and English has a very specific one. The grammar matters: "Sorry for being late" and "Sorry to hear that" use different structures, and mixing them up is one of the commonest errors at this level.
In this lesson you will learn
- The three sorry structures: for + -ing, about + noun, to + verb
- Apologies from casual to formal
- The tenses that make an excuse sound real
- How to accept an apology, and how to promise better
1. The three sorry structures
| Structure | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sorry for + -ing | something you did | Sorry for being late. |
| sorry about + noun | a thing or situation | Sorry about the noise. |
| sorry to + verb | reacting to news, or interrupting | Sorry to hear that. · Sorry to bother you. |
| sorry (that) + clause | a full explanation | I'm sorry I forgot your birthday. |
I'm sorry for being late and sorry about the mess — and I'm sorry to bother you again.
Kechikkanim uchun kechirasiz, tartibsizlik uchun ham uzr — va yana bezovta qilganim uchun kechirasiz.
Never sorry for be late or sorry to being late — the
structures do not mix.
2. From casual to formal
Spoken, everyday
- Sorry! · Sorry about that.
- I'm really sorry.
- I'm so sorry — it was my fault.
Written, formal
- I apologise for the delay.
- I do apologise. (emphatic — PE-83)
- Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused.
3. The grammar of a believable excuse
Here is where the past tenses earn their keep. A good excuse usually needs the Past Continuous (what you were in the middle of) or the Past Perfect (what had already gone wrong).
I'm sorry I'm late. I was waiting for the bus for half an hour, and when it finally came it had already broken down once.
Kechikkanim uchun kechirasiz. Yarim soat avtobus kutdim va u nihoyat kelganda, allaqachon bir marta buzilgan edi.
I couldn't finish the homework because the electricity went off. — The lesson was cancelled due to the weather.
Uy vazifasini tugatolmadim, chunki chiroq oʻchdi. — Dars ob-havo tufayli bekor qilindi.
because + clause · due to / owing to + noun (PE-52, PE-88).
4. Promising to do better
It won't happen again. — I'll make sure I'm on time tomorrow. — Let me fix it. — I should have told you earlier.
Bu qaytarilmaydi. — Ertaga oʻz vaqtida kelishimga ishonch hosil qilaman. — Tuzatib beraman. — Sizga oldinroq aytishim kerak edi.
Notice should have (PE-48) doing the work of admitting a mistake.
5. Accepting an apology
1Warm
That's all right. · Don't worry about it.
2Casual
No problem. · It's fine. · Never mind.
3Formal
That's quite all right. · Thank you for letting me know.
4Reassuring
It happens to everybody. · These things happen.
6. Common mistakes
Sorry for be late.
Sorry for being late.
Sorry for hear about your problem.
Sorry to hear about your problem.
I apologise about the delay.
I apologise for the delay.
It was because of the traffic was bad.
It was because the traffic was bad. / because of the heavy traffic.
Excuse me for the mistake I did.
I'm sorry for the mistake I made. (PE-90)
Practice
1 for, about or to: Sorry ___ forgetting your book. Sorry ___ the noise. Sorry ___ interrupt you.
Show answer
for forgetting · about the noise · to interrupt.
Verb → for + -ing; noun → about; interrupting → to + verb.
2 Make a full apology: You missed your friend's birthday party.
Show answer
Model: I'm so sorry for missing your party. My little sister was ill and I had to stay at home. Let me take you out at the weekend to make up for it.
Apologise → explain → offer to fix.
3 Make it formal: Sorry I'm late with the report.
Show answer
I apologise for the delay in submitting the report.
4 Accept this apology: "I'm really sorry — I forgot to bring your book."
Show answer
That's all right, don't worry about it. Saying nothing would seem cold in English.
5 Which tense makes this excuse work? I couldn't call you — my phone ___ (die).
Show answer
had died (or died) — the Past Perfect shows it happened before the moment you couldn't call.
Key words — Kalit soʻzlar
- To apologisekechirim soʻramoq
- Apologyuzr, kechirim
- Excusebahona
- Faultayb
- Delaykechikish
- Inconveniencenoqulaylik
- To interruptgapini boʻlmoq
- To botherbezovta qilmoq
- To make up foroʻrnini qoplamoq
- Never mindhechqisi yoʻq
🎯 Remember this
- sorry for + -ing (what you did) · sorry about + noun · sorry to + verb (reacting).
- Formal: I apologise for… · Please accept my apologies.
- A good apology has three parts: apologise → explain → offer to fix.
- Excuses use the Past Continuous and Past Perfect.
- Always accept an apology out loud — silence seems cold in English.