4
Read the letters of apology (A and B) and fill in the gaps with one of the phrases below. Then, make the
plan for each model.
•
apologise/say how sorry I am
•
are aware/know
•
it was impossible for me to/there was no way I could
•
displeased/cross
•
by way of an apology / to make up for things
•
fantastic / excellent
•
in a terrific rush / under great pressure
•
why don’t you let me / perhaps I could
5
Underline the key words in the rubrics below. Choose one rubric and write your letter/email.
Letters/Emails
of apology
are
written when someone
has made a mistake, has
failed to perform a duty
or he/she is not able to
fulfil a promise. They can
be formal, semi-formal or
informal, depending on
the person the apology is
addressed to.
• Letters/Emails making an apology
Dear Great Aunt Sally,
I’m writing to
1)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . for missing your 85th
birthday party last Sunday, and I hope you are not too
2)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unfortunately,
3)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . come. As you
4)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , I have been studying very hard for my
end-of-school exams this year. I had been intending to come
to your party, but I was due to have a Maths exam the
following day. It wasn’t until Sunday morning that I realised
I would have to continue studying all day in order to pass
the exam, which meant working
5)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . until late
that evening. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know sooner, but the
amount of revision I had to do was completely unexpected!
Anyway,
6)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,
7)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . take you
out for tea next weekend. We could go to that
8)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tea shop you like by the
river. My exams are over now so you can be sure I’ll be there this time!
Lots of love,
Hayley
You recently bought 3 DVDs from a shop, all of which
were faulty. When you went back to the shop to get a
refund, the assistant was very rude to you and accused
you of damaging the DVDs. Write a letter (140‒190
words) to the shop manager giving the reasons for
your dissatisfaction.
You have borrowed some money from a
friend and failed to return it by the agreed
date. Write an email (140‒190 words) to your
friend, apologising for your behaviour and
explaining the reasons for the delay.
Dear Chloe,
I’m writing to
1)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . for losing
the book you lent me to read on my journey
home from your house.
It was such a(n)
2)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . read that
I didn’t even notice that my train had reached my
station. I was so engrossed that I almost missed
my
stop.
Unfortunately,
I
ended
up
3)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
to get off the train which
meant that I left the book behind by accident. I’m
afraid
4)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
get it back, even
though I checked with the lost property office.
I
5)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
that you must be
6)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
with me
for
losing
something that you’d trusted me to take care of.
Next time you’re in London,
7)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
take you to Waterstone’s bookshop in Piccadilly?
It’s London’s largest bookshop – with six floors
full of books. You’re bound to find something you
like. I’ll treat you to whatever book you like,
8)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Really sorry, once again!
Love,
Gilbert
MODULE 1
33
A
B
B
A
greeting
Letters/Emails of apology
Paragraph 1:
reason(s) for
the apology
Paragraphs 2, 3:
reason(s) to
explain the
inconvenience/
upset caused
Paragraph 4:
express
understanding/
regret/promise to
make up for the
situation &
closing remarks
sign off
