English Vocabulary: Apologize. Whether we like it or not, apologizing is an important part of communication. And let’s face it – we love saying ‘sorry’ in English. So, let’s do it properly, please.
APOLOGIZE
- apologise (British spelling)
- apologize (American spelling)
- to say you are sorry in a more formal way
- She apologized for missing the meeting, but she didn’t give a proper reason for missing it.
- I apologize for waisting your time. I know you are very busy.
- We apologize for any inconveniance this has caused you or your family.
SAYING SORRY VS I APOLOGIZE
- Saying ‘I’m sorry’ is a bit less formal. Saying ‘I apologize’ is a bit more formal.
- ‘I’m sorry’ is sometimes overused and so sometimes saying ‘I’m sorry’ just isn’t enough.
- Saying ‘I apologize’ shows that you are a bit more sorry than usual.
- Sorry can also mean you are sad to hear something. So, when someone dies, we usually say sorry, not I apologize.
- I’m very sorry for your loss.
- I’m sorry to hear about your father.
When to apologize
When to say I apologize or I’m sorry is definetly a cultural concept. So, let’s take a look at some common scenarios where a ‘sorry’ is needed.
- Many English Speaking countries (particularly the U.S.) are time oriented culture. This means that time is important to us and waisting our time is not appreciated.
- We apologize for the delay in delivery. We appreciate your service.
- When we have made a mistake. Making mistakes is normal and apologizing for your mistakes is normal for English speakers. Taking responsability and apologising is a cultural value.
- I apologise. I understood you needed the report for tomorrow, not today.
- Running into someone. So, you bump someone in the street. Apologise!
- Bump! I apologize. or simply, ‘sorry’.
English Vocabulary
Now that you had a look at English Vocabulary: Apologize, take a look at our other Vocab Rehab posts:
Vocab Rehab: large numbers in English
Vocab Rehab: micromanage
