Three Step English for Intermediate Learners - Learn #9 - Extended Apologies in English - Learn
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Do you know how to extend apologies in English? Hi, my name is Alisha and this is 3-Step English by EnglishClass101.com. In this lesson, you'll learn how to extend apologies in English through a quick conversation. Let's look at the dialogue. As you listen, pay attention to how they ask about the topic and how the other person responds. Sorry, Jack. I don't think I'm going to make it tonight. What happened?

When I stepped out to meet you, it just started pouring. I think it's better just to stay in. I'm sorry to hear that. No, I'm sorry, Jack. If I'd known it was going to rain like this, I would have told you I'd join another time. It's okay. I think we're planning something next weekend. Can I keep you in the loop? Sure. Let's go over the dialogue again, more slowly this time. Sorry, Jack. I don't think I'm going to make it tonight. What happened?

When I stepped out to meet you, it just started pouring. Think it's better just to stay in. I'm sorry to hear that. No, I'm sorry, Jack. If I'd known it was going to rain like this, I would have told you I'd join another time. It's okay. I think we're planning something next weekend. Can I keep you in the loop? Sure. Let's focus on the key part of the conversation.

I'm sorry to hear that. No, I'm sorry, Jack. If I'd known it was going to rain like this, I would have told you I'd join another time. In this conversation, this character is apologizing to this character, Jack, for not being able to attend his event. She does this first by saying she's sorry and then explaining further with, if I'd known it was going to rain like this, I would have told you I'd join another time.

With this sentence, she gives context for both why she can't attend and what it is she's sorry for. If I'd known it was going to rain like this shows that the reason she's not attending was unexpected heavy rain. If she had known about it, she would have been able to do something differently. I would have told you I'd join another time shows the action she could have taken and that she's sorry for not telling Jack that she couldn't attend earlier.

If she had known it would rain, she would have told him. Because she didn't, she's apologizing for the inconvenience. Let's look at the sentence pattern. This pattern is the structure that all of our examples will follow. Past perfect phrase, would have, past participle phrase.

This is called the third conditional. We use the third conditional to talk about if something was different in the past and to imagine the result. We can use this to give a reason when making an apology. We form the third conditional with two clauses. In the first clause, we make an if statement with a past perfect verb phrase and use would have with the past participle to show the result.

Let's see how a line from the dialogue follows this pattern. If I'd known it was going to rain like this, I would have told you I'd join another time. In this sentence, we start with the if statement, with the phrase, I'd known it was going to rain like this. This is the past perfect phrase in the pattern. The past perfect verb in the phrase is had known, contracted with I to become I'd known.

Then we have, "I would have told you I'd join another time." "I would have" takes the "would have" section. "Told you I'd join another time" is the past participle phrase. The verb "told" is the past participle in this phrase. Now let's look at some speaking examples. "If I'd known it was going to rain like this, I would have told you another time." Can you see how the pattern applies here? It's almost identical to the dialogue example.

"I'd known it was going to rain like this" is the past perfect phrase, and "told you another time" is the past participle phrase. Next. "If I'd known it was going to be crowded, I would have made a reservation." "I'd known it was going to be crowded" is the past perfect phrase, using "had known." "Made a reservation" is the past participle phrase, using "made." Let's try one more.

If we'd ordered another pizza, we wouldn't have gotten hungry. "We'd ordered another pizza" is the past perfect, using the past perfect "had ordered." Here, it's conjuncted with "we" instead of "I." "Gotten hungry" is the past participle phrase using "gotten." By saying "wouldn't have" instead of "would have," this shows that something did happen but would not have if they had done something else.

Let's review. Using the sentence pattern we learned, do you know how the words should be ordered? If. If I'd. If I'd bought. If I'd bought more. If I'd bought more, we. If I'd bought more, we wouldn't.

If I'd bought more, we wouldn't have... If I'd bought more, we wouldn't have run... If I'd bought more, we wouldn't have run out. If I'd bought more, we wouldn't have run out. Using the sentence pattern we learned, do you know how the words should be ordered? If. If I'd. If I'd studied...

If I'd studied, I'd... If I'd studied, I'd have... If I'd studied, I'd have passed. If I'd studied, I'd have passed. Thank you for watching! Now you know how to extend apologies in English. And now you can move on to the practice.