Stop saying 'I'm sorry...' - say THIS instead - 17 more advanced alternative phrases (STORY LESSON)

791,455 views ・ 2020-02-05

English with Lucy


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

00:02
(upbeat music)
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- Hello everyone and welcome back to English with Lucy.
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Today, I have another video with a hidden story.
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I hid a story in my last vocabulary video,
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it was the one about not using I think.
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So, the alternatives for I think.
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And I didn't say anything I hid a story within the lesson,
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and people went nuts for it.
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So, here we are with another one.
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Advice websites everywhere will tell you
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to stop apologising, to stop saying I'm sorry.
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I have got 17 alternatives for you.
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They're more advanced, most of them are more advanced,
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and some of them are more formal.
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They are just nicer,
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more elegant ways of apologising to people.
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So this video is going to really help you build vocabulary,
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particularly if you'd like to improve your pronunciation
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and your listening skills even further
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then I highly recommend the special method
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of combining reading books with listening to the audiobook
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version at the same time.
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It might sound a little bit complicated, but let me explain,
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because it's a really, really amazing method.
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Take a book that you have already read in English
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or a book that you would like to read in English,
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I've got some really good recommendations
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in the description box and read that book whilst listening
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to the audiobook version on Audible.
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Reading alone will not help you with you pronunciation.
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English is a very complicated language,
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it's not strictly phonetic the way a word is written
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or spelled doesn't really give you much indication
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as to how it is pronounced in most cases,
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but if you listen to a word as you read it,
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the next time you see that word,
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you'll know exactly how it's pronounced,
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and the next time you hear that word,
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you'll know exactly how it's spelled or written.
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It's such an effective method and the best part is
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you can get one free audiobook at the 30 day free trial
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on Audible, all you've got to do is click on the link
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in the description box and sign up,
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and then you can download some of my recommendations.
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If you want to improve your listening,
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and if you want to improve your pronunciation,
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give this method a try because it really does work.
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Please do give me your feedback as well,
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I love to use it to motivate other students.
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Right.
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Let's get started with the lesson.
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This series of examples is going to be delivered
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in the format of a letter to the CEO of my company.
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Because I've made a mistake, and I have to say sorry.
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So the first alternative way for saying I'm sorry
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is I owe you an apology.
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I owe you apology.
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An example?
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Dear CEO, I owe you an apology for what happened
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at the Christmas party.
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Dear CEO, I owe you an apology for what happened
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at the Christmas party.
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Number two is I take full responsibility for my actions.
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This one is really quite intense.
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It's used in more formal situations,
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like if you've messed up at the workplace.
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An example, I take full responsibility for my action
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I should never have let my hair down
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in such an unprofessional way.
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I take full responsibility for my actions,
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I should never have let my hair down in such
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an unprofessional way.
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Now, to let your hair down is to allow yourself
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to behave more freely than usual, and enjoy yourself.
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If you say I'm going to let my hair down tonight,
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it means I'm going to really enjoy myself tonight.
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I'm not going to behave in my usual way.
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The next one is it was wrong of me,
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or it was wrong on my part, basically means it was my fault.
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An example, I hadn't actually planned to attend.
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I just stopped by on the way home from the pub.
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This was wrong on my part.
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I hadn't actually planned to attend.
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I just stopped by on the way home from the pub.
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This was wrong on my part.
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This was a bad decision.
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Now, number four, you can say I'm sorry,
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but if you would like to add just a little more emphasis
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to emphasise how sorry you really are,
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you can add so or very or even both of them,
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how does that work?
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Well, it's so very sorry.
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An example.
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I'm so very sorry for telling to receptionist
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that she looked like marshmallow.
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Her pink frilly dress was actually very cute.
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I'm so very sorry for telling the receptionist
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that she looked like marshmallow.
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Her pink frilly dress was actually very cute.
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If that's not enough, then you can use number five
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which is I'm ever so sorry, I'm ever so sorry,
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this is a little posh actually.
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An example.
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I'm ever so sorry for loudly discussing how low
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our salaries are,
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this should have been discussed in private.
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I'm ever so sorry for loudly discussing how low
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our salaries are,
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this should have been discussed in private.
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Now, if that still isn't enough, you can use
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terribly or awfully, I'm terribly sorry,
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or I'm awfully sorry.
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An example?
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I'm awfully sorry for starting a very successful conga
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whilst you were trying to deliver your wonderful
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yearly thank you speech.
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I'm awfully sorry for starting a very successful conga
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whilst you were trying to deliver your wonderful yearly
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thank you speech.
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Now another option is to say that it was thoughtless
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or careless of you.
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It was thoughtless of me, it was careless of me, an example?
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It was completely thoughtless of me to shout out
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hey lady, this isn't the Oscars, get a move on,
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when I thought your speech had gone on a little long.
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It was completely thoughtless of me to shout out
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hey lady, get a move on, this isn't the Oscars,
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when I thought your speech had gone on a little long.
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Now, number eight.
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We could use this one if we're trying to be a little more
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formal and this one is used very commonly in written
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communication, formal written communication.
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It is I sincerely apologise, I sincerely apologise.
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An example, I sincerely apologise for acting so despicably
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with your husband.
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I sincerely apologise for acting so despicably
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with your husband.
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If you act despicably, then you act terribly.
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Now number nine, the beg for forgiveness.
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I hope you can forgive me, I hope you can forgive me.
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An example?
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I hope you can forgive me for pulling your husband
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on to the dance floor using his tie.
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I hope you can forgive me for pulling your husband
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on to the dance floor using his tie.
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Number 10, if we want to use the passive voice
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and make it a little less obvious who we're directing
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this at, we can say I hope I can be forgiven.
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I hope I can be forgiven.
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An example, I hope I can be forgiven for dragging
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him onto the buffet table with me.
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I hope I can be forgiven for dragging him onto
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the buffet table with me.
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Number 11.
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If you want to express that your intentions weren't bad,
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you can say, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to.
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An example.
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I didn't mean to get sour cream dip all over his trousers.
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I didn't mean to get sour cream dip all over his trousers.
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Or number 12 if you want to express some regret,
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you can use I shouldn't have.
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I have got a lesson on should have, would have,
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and could have or shoulda, woulda, coulda
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as I like to call it.
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I'll put that up in the card and I'll also link it down
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below because it's an important lesson,
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especially when you want to express regret.
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An example.
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I really shouldn't have tried to clean the dip off
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there and then.
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I really shouldn't have tried to clean the dip off
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there and then.
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Important, there and then is a phrase I think a lot of you
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need to know, because I do hear quite a few students
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saying in that moment.
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But we don't really use that so much,
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we are more likely to say there and then,
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at least in British English.
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We use it to talk about the past, but it means immediately,
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I cleaned his trousers immediately.
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I cleaned his trousers there and then, in that moment.
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Number 13, if I shouldn't have isn't enough,
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then you can just say, I deeply regret, I deeply regret.
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This is very profound.
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An example.
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I deeply regret telling you to back off
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and find your own man when you came over to help.
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I deeply regret telling you to back off
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and find your own man when you came over to help.
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Number 14 is I messed up, I messed up,
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which means I made a huge mistake.
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For example, I really messed up when I tried
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to start a fist fight with you.
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I really messed up when I tried to start
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a fist fight with you.
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Number 15 is a variation on one we heard earlier,
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is I was in the wrong, coming from to be in the wrong.
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An example?
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When I caught you in a headlock, I was in the wrong.
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When I caught you in a headlock, I was in the wrong.
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Important, this is essential vocabulary,
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a headlock is when you hold someone's head
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by wrapping your arm around their neck.
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It's a very important vocabulary for you.
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Now, number 16, when you're asking for forgiveness,
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you can say I really hope you can find it within you.
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I really hope you can find it within you
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to forgive me or whatever.
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An example?
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I really hope you can find it within you
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to drop the assault charges against me.
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I really hope you can find it within you
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to drop the assault charges against me.
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Now to drop charges against someone is to no longer
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officially accuse someone of a crime.
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It's often used in the passive used the charges
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have been dropped against him,
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so you don't know exactly who has dropped the charges.
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And number 17, the phrase you should say at the end
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of an apology, it won't happen again.
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It won't happen again.
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An example?
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I really promise it won't happen again,
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so can I have my job back?
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I really hope it won't happen again,
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so can I have my job back?
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Ooh, I don't know if that's really gonna happen.
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Yours sincerely, Lucy.
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Right, that's it for today's lesson,
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I hope you enjoyed it, I hope you learned something.
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I've given you 17 wonderful alternatives for saying
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I'm sorry in English and also some more vocabulary
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along the way.
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Don't forget to check out Audible,
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you can claim your free audiobook.
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That's a 30 day free trial with Audible by clicking
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on the link in the description box,
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and I've got loads of recommendations there as well,
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and don't forget to connect with me on all
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of my social media, I've got my Facebook, my Instagram,
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my Twitter, and my personal channel,
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which is Lucy Bella Earl, where I talk about everything
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that isn't related to English.
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I will see you soon for another lesson.
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Mwah!
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(upbeat music)
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