Hi there, this is Harry, welcome back to Advanced English lessons with Harry,
where I tried to help you to get a better understanding of the English language,
you might be trying to improve your business English or simply your conversational English.
And in this particular lesson, we want to talk about and look at expressions that will help
you in your conversation. So we've got today an advanced English lesson. And we're looking at
expressions that you can use about apologising and admitting fault. So they're not... I'm not
going to give you examples, I'm going to show you how you can use them, because they're really
informal in most situations, and they're informal expressions that you can drop into
your conversation. So like always, you'll need to practice them to see how you can use them,
but they're not so many of them, I've got 10. So I'll go through them with you. And
then I'll give you an example. And then we can work from there. Okay, number one, oh,
I do apologise. It was completely my fault. It was entirely my fault. So it's quite polite, okay. So
it's a nice polite way to apologise. And it's not so informal. So it's quite formal. I do apologise,
it was my fault, completely or entirely. So perhaps you're in the supermarket, and you're
reaching up to get something and somebody else is reaching up and the jar falls down and smashes on
the floor and you turn to the person. Look, I'm really sorry, I do apologise, it was completely
my fault. I'll get the manager or somebody to come and clean up the mess. Okay. Number two,
I'm sorry, that wasn't very tactful of me. So you might have said something inadvertently,
or you might have made some reference to somebody's weight or, Oh, you're... you've
look as if you've put on a few pounds or a few kilos, or oops, I shouldn't have said that. Look,
I'm really sorry, that wasn't very tactful of me. So you're sorry for having mentioned or referred
to the person's weight. Okay, so you're probably trying to be nice and polite, but it didn't turn
out that way. So I'm sorry, that wasn't very tactful of me. And to be tactful means to know
when to say something. And when not. So that's all about being tactful. Number three, I don't know
what came over me. Okay. So this is when we say something that, really, we definitely shouldn't
have said, I don't know what came over me. But we can't understand why we said it. Because there's
not like us. So, you know, I don't know what came over me. So perhaps when something happened, or
the report wasn't on your desk, and you shouted a new screen. Where's it? Where's that? Where's that
bloody report? No, look, I'm really really sorry. I don't know what came over me. I've just been so
uptight with this report, I really want to get it off my desk. So I apologise for saying some rude
words. So I don't know what came over me. So it's a way of apologising. Or in the same situation,
I had no rights to take it out on you, I had no rights, take it out on you. So if you shout at
your PA or you shout at one of the people working on your team, and you not because they have done
something, but because you're annoyed because you made a mistake, or you're annoyed because your
boss has asked you to work late or he wasn't so happy with the report you issued. So you shout or
you get very techy, with somebody working for you. And then you say, Look, I'm really really sorry,
I had no rights, take it out on you. And what it means is that no right? To show you that I
was angry, and it wasn't that I was angry with you. I was angry with myself. I was angry with
the boss because you had the report didn't go down so well. So I had no right to take it out. I knew
I shouldn't have shouted or screamed or shown my anger to you. Next number five,
it was inexcusable of me. I'd say this is another quite formal way to say it was inexcusable. Get
the word out eventually, it was inexcusable of me to use those words in front of you. I am really,
really sorry. There's no excuse. That's what it means. There's no excuse. It was inexcusable of
me, I hope you can forgive me. I won't do it again. It was inexcusable of me. Number six,
I was out of line or I was completely out of line. So this is less formal. I was out of line.
Meaning that's not my way of dealing with things. I shouldn't have said it. Even if I was angry. I
had no right to take it out on you. So when you're out of line, you mean you've stepped out of the
normal line of doing things as a way of dealing with a problem. I was out of line. So perhaps
you're ringing up to complain to some helpdesk because your mobile phone doesn't work or some
tickets you ordered didn't arrive or the Amazon package got lost whatever it is you're ringing up
to complain and then when the person on the other end of the phone isn't really answering you in the
way you feel it should then you get a little bit out agree and you say things like, well, like,
what are you doing? Isn't it your job to find out? Shouldn't you know what happened to my parcel,
blah, blah, blah, blah. And then you stop and you're thinking, Okay, this is only a person on
the other end of the telephone trying to do their job. So you say, Look, I'm really sorry, I was out
of line, I shouldn't have said that. I know you're there to help. Let me give you the contact number,
or let me give you the reference number I have. And you get back to me when you can. So I'm sorry,
I was out of line. I shouldn't have said that. Number seven, in the same way, when
somebody says something a little bit heated, that perhaps said something in the heat of the moment,
they got excited, got angry, then they can use an expression like, Look, I'm sorry,
I guess I just overreacted. They just overreacted. So you are looking for something you're the report
needs to be in by midday, you're waiting for those tables to be produced, or the data to be
dropped into the report and you start sending some annoying emails? Where is it? Look, I'm sitting
here waiting. I don't know where it is. What how am I going to get this report finished, and you
send this type of email and people are getting a little bit anxious because you are you're getting
more and more annoyed. And then finally, somebody says, Well, look, I sent it to you an
hour ago. And he said, but I don't have it. And so we'll look in your spam. And then of course,
the email is sitting in your spam box. And you have it so Okay, guys, look, I'm sorry, I guess
it just overreacted. A little bit tense boss is waiting for the report, you know, the way it is.
So you apologise, it won't happen. Again, I guess I overreacted I should have looked more carefully
and more closely at the emails that I had. And then again, if you want to use something really
informal, when you've made a bit of a mistake, and you know, you really have to apologise,
but the apology isn't going to be strong enough. You say, Look, I'm such an idiot, I really, really
shouldn't react that way. I'm the second idiot. Or as we would say, in Ireland. I'm such a tool. So
a tool means it's a rude word. In that sense for an idiot. I'm such an idiot. I feel like a tool,
a complete tool. What did I do? Look, I completely overreacted. My apologies. Or just very simply
very straightforward, very informal. Well, look, you can blame me for that. That's all my fault. I
meant to get the report in today, I was supposed to send you guys an email, I forgot all about it,
I went home, and I forgot. And like it's just too late. I'll take the blame for it. So you can blame
me for that. So the boss starts pushing you for the report, just put them on to me. I'll tell him
it was all my fault. You can blame me for that. And then finally, when you have made a mistake,
when you have stepped out of line, when you have said something that you shouldn't have said,
whatever it is that's caused the upset, then you can apologise. And you can end it by saying, Well,
how can I make it up to you? So that's great. It's a good way to get somebody back on side, you
forget the birthday, how can I make it up to you? You shouted at our PA or someone on your team,
Look, I'm really sorry, how can I make it up to you? So anytime that you've stepped out of line,
anytime that you've made a real faux pas, anytime that you've taken it out on somebody that you
had no right to do, then you can use this line? How can I make it up to you and then hopefully,
everything will be better okay. So, there are 10 particular expressions where you can apologise
or you can admit fault in some way. So, practice them try to use them try to introduce them into
your language. So if you have any questions or you have any issues then you can write to me
at the end of this lesson or anytime you wish. www.englishlessonviaskype.com. Okay, so this is
Harry saying thank you very much for watching this particular lesson and join me again soon.