Let’s take a minute to have a look at different
ways you can apologise in a formal situation.
Imagine you’re in an important meeting at
work and you interrupted your boss.
To say 'sorry', you might say:
'Sorry…'
'Excuse me...'
'Pardon me… '
'Apologies…'
'I sincerely apologise… for... interrupting.'
Or: 'for the interruption.'
Because 'for' is a preposition,
you can either use a gerund or a noun.
Now imagine you’re in the same important
meeting at work and you give a presentation
in front of your boss that is incomplete and
full of mistakes. To say 'sorry', you might say:
'I'm afraid I didn’t finish the presentation.'
Don’t be confused – 'afraid' does not mean
'scared' here – it’s like 'sorry', but more
formal. And notice that after 'afraid', we put a full
clause or sentence.