In everyday life, we sometimes arrive late, forget to do something, or make a small mistake. When this happens, we need to give a clear and polite excuse.
Making excuses helps people understand what happened and why.
This lesson will help you learn useful English expressions to explain situations politely and naturally. 😊
What Does “Make an Excuse” Mean?
To make an excuse means to give a reason for something you didn’t do or for something that went wrong.
Sometimes excuses are real.
Sometimes they are not.
But in English, we often use excuses to explain situations politely.
Examples:
- “I made an excuse for being late.”
- “She always makes excuses for not finishing her homework.”
Making excuses is useful in daily life, at school, at work, and with friends.
Here’s a table of useful phrases to help you get started:
Useful Phrases Table
| Making Excuses | Apologising | Accepting / Rejecting Excuses |
|---|---|---|
| Well, you see… | I’m really sorry… 😔 | OK / Never mind. I understand. 😊 |
| I meant to, but… | It was very stupid of me. 😣 | These things happen. 🤷 |
| I had to… | I won’t do it again, I promise! 🤞 | That’s no excuse. ❌ |
You can combine these sentence starters with a reason.
For example if you are late you can make the following excuses:
| Starter Phrase | Reason (Complete the sentence) |
|---|
| Well, you see… | …the traffic was terrible. 🚗💨 |
| I meant to, but… | …I overslept. 😴 |
| I had to… | …help my sister before leaving. 👧 |
| I had to… | …go back home to get something. 🏠 |
Conversation 1 — Being Late
A: You’re late again!
B: Well, you see… the bus was really slow today.
A: You should leave earlier.
B: I know. I meant to, but I couldn’t find my keys.
Conversation 2 — Forgetting Something
A: Did you bring the book I lent you?
B: I meant to, but I left it on my desk at home.
A: You always forget things!
B: I know… I’ll bring it tomorrow.
Let’s Practice
Practice 1
Practice 2
Speaking
Practice 1
Practice 2