|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Ask for help > SORRY!
SORRY!
|
brunella
|
SORRY!
|
|
I �ve got a problem with "sorry"! A colleague of mine says you can �t say: "Sorry if I �m late"; according to her the correct form is: "I �m sorry if I �m late." I thought both were possible. Could someone help me? Thanks in advance |
21 Nov 2010
|
|
|
|
libertybelle
|
If you say - "Sorry if I �m late" that means you are not sure if you �re late or not.
(If you KNOW you are late - you say "Sorry I �m late" - or I �m sorry I �m late)
In spoken English we often drop words - so you CAN say "sorry if I �m late".
both are correct - one is just the whole sentence, yours is the spoken form.
|
21 Nov 2010
|
|
|
ldthemagicman
|
|
Brunella,
I agree with Libertybelle. It �s the same in the UK.
Les
|
21 Nov 2010
|
|
|
brunella
|
|
Therefore, if the sentence is in a letter, even if informal, it �s better to write "I �m sorry if...", isn �t it?
|
21 Nov 2010
|
|
|
PhilipR
|
|
If you arrive late somewhere, I �d say �I�m sorry I�m late�, �Sorry for being late � or I �m sorry for being late �.
Like LB said, �Sorry if I �m late � means you �re not quite sure if you �re late or not. I don�t really see why you would write or apologize in a letter. Or do you mean �Sorry for my late reply�/�Sorry for replying so late�?
|
21 Nov 2010
|
|
|
joy2bill
|
|
Personally I hate it when people say "I �m sorry if I hurt you" (example John Lennon �s song) Because it could imply I didn �t really hurt you. You just took offence to something!
Someitmes my husband says it and I could kill him!
Cheers Joy |
21 Nov 2010
|
|
|
edrodmedina
|
|
Would you go through w/it Joy? Are you sorry you wrote that? ;-) Ed |
21 Nov 2010
|
|
|
