apologise

«apologise» in Mova's school dictionary: sorry for something you did wrong or for something that… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

verb (apologise, apologises, apologised, apologising)

meaning for a pupil

1) To say you are sorry for something you did wrong or for something that upset or hurt someone. tree →

2) To say sorry politely for a small trouble, like being late or interrupting. tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday life and safety lessons, apologising is part of good manners and of fixing a friendship after a quarrel: you say what you did, say sorry, and try to put it right. In stories, a character who apologises shows they understand they were wrong. Phrases: «apologise to someone», «apologise for something», «apologise for being late», «I apologise».

examples

• I apologised to my sister for breaking her pencil. tree →
• You should apologise to Sam for pushing him. tree →
• The bus driver apologised for the delay. tree →
• She apologised for interrupting the teacher. tree →
• He never apologises, even when he is wrong. tree →
• "I apologise," said the waiter, and brought a clean fork. tree →
• A good apology says what you did and how you will fix it. tree →
• We apologised to our neighbour after the ball hit her window. tree →

note

British spelling «apologise»; American spelling «apologize» — both are correct. The noun is «apology» (plural «apologies»). Say «apologise TO a person FOR a thing», not «apologise someone». A real apology means it; saying sorry while still teasing is not a real apology.

In the corpora

• In March 2024 photo agencies withdrew a Mother's Day family photo because it had been edited, and the Princess apologised.
• Toad apologises fully and promises to do nothing without the Rat's advice; the Rat says they must wait for Mole and Badger.
• When someone apologises, you say "That's okay" or "Thank you for saying sorry" and try to forgive.
• Apologising first can feel hard, but it often makes the other person ready to make peace.
• Courage is not only fighting; telling, walking away, apologising and being kind are also brave.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «apologise» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.