sorry
part of speech
adjective (sorry, sorrier, sorriest); interjection (Sorry!)
meaning for a pupil
1) Feeling sad or bad because you did something wrong: "I'm sorry I broke it." tree →
2) Feeling sad for someone else: "I'm sorry your cat is ill." tree →
3) Used to say politely that you didn't hear: "Sorry?" tree →
4) Used to say no politely or ask to pass: "Sorry, excuse me." tree →
5) Poor, sad-looking: "a sorry sight". tree →
sense in the lessons
In manners and feelings: saying sorry and meaning it helps fix hurt feelings; a good apology says what you did and how you will make it right. Phrases: say sorry, feel sorry for, sorry about, sorry to hear, better safe than sorry.
examples
- I'm sorry I was late. tree →
- Say sorry to your sister. tree →
- I feel sorry for the lost dog. tree →
- Sorry, could you say that again? tree →
- I'm sorry to hear you are ill. tree →
- Sorry, can I get past? tree →
- Better safe than sorry. tree →
- The wet kitten was a sorry sight. tree →
- “I feel very sorry for you. tree →
note
"Sorry about" a thing; "sorry for" doing something or for a person. Canadians and British people say "sorry" very often, even just to be polite. Saying sorry doesn't always fix things; actions matter too.
In the corpora
- Coming home with flowers the day after a row is making up, a way of saying sorry and wanting to be friends again.
- At bedtime Mum explains he had an awful week at work, and Dad comes up and says, "Sorry, mate.
- Refusing to admit you are lost or wrong is pride; too much pride makes it hard to ask for help or say sorry.
- Let's just be sorry for them." Nan nods: "You're right, love."
- A public apology is judged by what the person does next; saying sorry in front of millions is hard.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «sorry» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.