Exam practice

• a.It says “I’m sorry”: someone is apologizing, saying that they regret something they did.
• b.We apologize with words like I’m sorry, I apologize, Please forgive me, It was my fault or I didn’t mean to hurt you. With family we often show it more than say it: a hug, sharing something, or doing a job for the person we hurt. In Nepal many people also say माफ गर्नुहोस् (maaf garnuhos, “please forgive me”) or simply sorry, which has become part of everyday Nepali.

a. trip over b. effusive c. bristled d. inured e. culpability f. assertion g. attribute h. semantic i. nuance
Some answer keys give semantics for h. Semantics is a noun, the study of meaning; the word in the text, and the one that means “connected with meaning”, is the adjective semantic (a semantic disconnect).

a – iv, b – iii, c – v, d – i, e – ii

Because his submarine collided with and sank a Japanese fishing boat off Hawaii in 2001, and he didn’t apologize immediately.

Americans see an apology as an admission of wrongdoing (“I am the one who is responsible”), while the Japanese see it as an expression of eagerness to repair a damaged relationship, with no blame necessarily meant (“It is unfortunate that this happened”).

In the week before the survey, the Japanese students remembered making 11.05 apologies on average, the American students only 4.51: the Japanese apologized more than twice as often.

A woman applying for an accounting job who apologized for having deliberately filed an incorrect tax return for an earlier client.

Undergraduates (university students) from both the US and Japan, who were asked to imagine that they were managers.

If they understand the cultural differences in what an apology means, executives can use it as a tool to help negotiations, to resolve conflicts and to repair trust.

Last month I borrowed my friend Yangchen’s science notebook before the test and promised to return it the next day. I forgot it at home for three days, and she had to study from a friend’s photos. When I saw how worried she was, I felt terrible. I went to her the next morning, gave her the notebook and said, “I’m really sorry, Yangchen. It was my fault; I should have put it in my bag the night before. I know it made your revision harder.” I also offered to explain the two chapters she had missed, and we studied them together after school. She said, “It’s OK, just don’t do it again,” and laughed. Since then I write a reminder on my hand whenever I borrow something.

• a.A: Excuse me, that’s my bag. B: Oh, I’m sorry that I took it. I thought it was mine: they look just the same. A: That’s OK. It happens.
• b.A: Where are my biscuits? B: Oops, sorry! I ate them. I thought they were mine. A: No problem. We can share mine.
• c.A: Ow! You’ve sat on my cat! B: Oh no, I’m so sorry! I thought it was a pillow. Is she hurt? A: Don’t worry about it. She’s fine, just surprised.
• d.A: Hey, that’s my newspaper. B: I apologize for taking it. I didn’t realize it was yours. Here you are. A: That’s all right.
• e.A: Ouch! Watch where you’re going! B: I’m so sorry. It’s my fault: I was in a hurry to get off the bus. Are you all right? A: I’m fine. It happens.
• f.A: Yes? Can I help you? B: Oh, I’m sorry! I should have looked more carefully. I thought you were my friend. A: Don’t worry about it. I forgive you!

• a.A: I’m really sorry, I’ve eaten your chocolates. I couldn’t stop! B: That’s OK, I forgive you. But you owe me some!
• b.A: Oh, excuse me! Sorry about that. B: No problem. Would you like a tissue?
• c.A: I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t follow your instructions, so the experiment went wrong. B: That’s all right. Read them again carefully and try once more.
• d.A: Oops, I’ve spilled your drink! I’m so sorry. B: It’s OK, accidents happen. A: Let me get you another one.
• e.A: Sorry, Pema! I didn’t see you. Are you OK? B: I’m fine. No harm done.
• f.A: I’m so sorry to keep you waiting. The bus was late. B: Don’t worry about it. Let’s go.
• g.A: I apologize for being late, ma’am. It won’t happen again. B: All right, come in. Try to be on time tomorrow.
• h.A: I’m sorry, I forgot to bring your notebook. I’ll bring it tomorrow, I promise. B: No problem. I don’t need it until Friday.
• i.A: Ouch! B: Oh, I’m sorry! I stepped on your toe. Does it hurt? A: Just a little. It’s OK.

The ten verb forms in the present continuous:
am standing, is reading, is listening, are playing, is having (a nap), is drinking, is running, are doing, is watering, is cleaning.
Not in the present continuous: look, is (Here is one of the moments), prefer, are (we are all together), let, introduce, I’m Bob (am alone, with no -ing verb), can imagine.

• a.is sleeping (right now: Be quiet!)
• b.rains (what happens every year in that season: a habit of the weather)
• c.is working (at the moment)
• d.am listening (now); listen (a habit, in the mornings)
• e.does … leave (a timetable)
• f.don’t wear (a habit, usually); am wearing (today only)
• g.is traveling (British travelling: an arrangement for next weekend)
• h.is studying (at the moment)
• i.write (what most people do nowadays; are writing is also right, for a change still going on)
• j.do … wear (are … wearing is also right, for a fashion that is changing now)
• k.are … doing (a plan for tonight)
• l.are … thinking (now)
• m.driving (today only)
• n.are not doing (aren’t doing: now)

Some answer keys give is raining for b. That is right only while it is raining at the moment. With in the monsoon season, the sentence says what happens every year, so the present simple, rains, fits.

Start with what the charts show. Food is the biggest slice in both years; say how it changed. Then housing and education, which both grew (education almost doubled), and other non-food, the only one that fell. End with one sentence on what changed most.

The pie charts show how households in Nepal divided their spending in 2004 and 2011.
In both years, food took by far the largest share: 59% in 2004, rising slightly to 61.5% in 2011, so families spent well over half of their money on food. Other non-food items came second, but their share fell from 28.7% to 22.2%, a drop of 6.5 percentage points, the only share that went down. In contrast, housing rose from 9.5% to 11%, and education, the smallest share in both years, almost doubled, from 2.8% to 5.3%.
Overall, by 2011 households were spending a larger part of their money on food, housing and especially education, and a smaller part on other things.

• a.I agree. Sometimes we say sorry to keep the peace or to show we care, as the Japanese students in Reading I did, even when nobody is clearly wrong: I’m sorry we argued. An apology can mean “I value our relationship more than winning.” But when we really have done wrong, a true apology does admit it.
• b.I agree. It takes courage to say I was wrong. People who do it show that they are honest and that they respect others, and others trust them more for it. Proud people who never admit a mistake lose that trust.

a – iii, b – v, c – iv, d – ii, e – i

David Neeleman, the founder and CEO of JetBlue Airways.

To JetBlue’s customers, especially those who were booked on its flights during that week.

For seven years (when the letter was written: JetBlue began flying in 2000, and the letter is from 2007).

A severe winter ice storm in the Northeast, which disrupted the movement of JetBlue’s aircraft and of its pilots and crewmembers; the busy holiday weekend and the overloaded phone line made the recovery harder.

It promises to bring humanity back to air travel and to make flying happier and easier for everyone who flies with it; after this week, also better and quicker information, a more reliable service, and compensation when flights are interrupted.

The airline’s official commitment to its customers about how it will handle operational interruptions (delays and cancellations) from now on, including details of compensation.

Last Dashain, my family traveled from Kathmandu to our village in Syangja. Near Mugling, a landslide blocked the highway, and our bus waited for almost five hours while bulldozers cleared the road. There was nowhere to buy food, and my little sister started crying because she was hungry. Luckily, a family on the bus shared their beaten rice and fruit with us, and we gave them some of our water. We reached home late at night instead of in the afternoon, very tired, but safe. Since then, my mother always packs snacks and water, however short the journey seems, and we check the road news before we leave.

• a.They look like friends or classmates at a college canteen. They could be talking about their studies, which subjects they are taking, their plans for a career, or meeting again after a long time.
• b.At first I might feel a little hurt or surprised, as if I didn’t matter to them. But forgetting a name happens to everyone, especially when we have met only once, so if they apologize, I would just tell them my name again and laugh about it.

I would be honest rather than pretend. I would smile and say, “I’m so sorry, I know we’ve met, but I’ve forgotten your name. Could you tell me again?” When they tell me, I would repeat it (“Of course, Kopila! Now I remember”), and use it once or twice in the conversation so that I don’t forget it again. If it is a close friend, a little joke helps too: “Sorry, my memory is worse than my handwriting!”

The verbs, in order:

1. Sophiya is sitting in the classroom.
2. Her teacher is standing in front of the class teaching.
3. Sophiya is doing something else.
4. She is not (isn’t) in the class. (Be is a state verb here, so no -ing.)
5. She is dancing on a stage…
6. She is wearing a beautiful costume.
7. She is tapping and twirling.
8. She is spinning on one leg.
9. She is kicking her feet.
10. She is leaping and flying through the air.
11. The people in the audience are standing (on their feet).
12. They are clapping and shouting “Bravo! Bravo!”
13. Her teacher calls. (is calling is also right.)
14. Sophiya feels a bit embarrassed. (Feel for a state of mind: present simple.)
15. Her cheeks get red. (are getting red is also right: it is changing as we watch.)
16. You are shouting “Bravo!” in the class. (were shouting is also right, since she has just stopped.)

• a.We are going to the cinema tonight. Are you coming with us?
• b.I go on holiday two or three times a year. … where are you going this year?
• c.It is raining and we don’t have an umbrella.
• d.Why is he looking at us? What does he want? (want is a state verb)
• e.Tomorrow, I am seeing my doctor in the morning.
• f.He is listening to a new song in his room.
• g.but she is not working today.
• h.Nitu is reading a story at the moment.
• i.The plane is leaving the runway now.
• j.I told you that I am not working with you anymore.

Say sorry at the start, then exactly what you did, without excuses. Say how it must have made them feel. Say what you have done or will do to put it right, and what you will do differently. End by asking to stay friends. Warm and sincere, about 150–200 words.

To: nisha.gurung@example.com

Subject: I’m sorry about your birthday

Dear Nisha,

I am writing to say how sorry I am that I missed your birthday party on Saturday. I promised you I would come early to help decorate, and I didn’t come at all. Worse, I didn’t even call you.

I have no good excuse. I was playing a cricket match, it went on longer than I expected, and I forgot to check the time until it was dark. I know you waited for me and kept asking where I was. It must have felt as if your best friend didn’t care, and that is the last thing I wanted you to feel.

I would like to make it up to you. Can I take you to the momo shop in Bhaktapur Durbar Square this Saturday? It’s my treat, and I’ve already bought you the book you wanted, a little late. From now on, I will set an alarm on my phone for anything I have promised, so this doesn’t happen again.

You have always been there for me, and I hope you can forgive me.

Your friend,
Bishal

• a.Simple. After eating lunch at the Rose Garden has no subject and verb of its own (it is a phrase, not a clause), so there is only one clause: Tapas went to the gym.
• b.The shopkeeper gave me the wrong change, so I went back to the shop. (compound)
• c.While Sophiya was dancing in her daydream, her teacher called her name. (complex; or Her teacher called her name while Sophiya was dancing in her daydream.)
• d.The airline said sorry, and it promised to pay its passengers. (compound; The airline said sorry and promised to pay its passengers, with one subject, is a simple sentence.)

Some books give sentence a as an example of a complex sentence. It has only one clause, so it is simple. Make it complex by giving the first part a subject and a verb: After Tapas had eaten lunch at the Rose Garden, he went to the gym.

• a.True
• b.False (the Japanese remembered 11.05 on average, the Americans 4.51)
• c.True
• d.False (it blames the ice storm and its own operations, and says we let you down)
• e.True

• a.is cleaning (right now, today; the whole street is one group)
• b.is carrying (now)
• c.are picking (now; brothers is plural)
• d.works (a habit, usually)
• e.are coming (Look!: now)

• a.Pasang isn’t studying History now.
• b.Are they traveling to Ilam next week?
• c.What is Sneha reading?
• d.I take the bus to school, but today I am walking (or I’m riding my bicycle).
• e.It was late, so we took a taxi.
• f.We stayed at home because it was raining. (or Because it was raining, we stayed at home.)

The table shows how the students of a school in Kavre traveled to school in 2015 and 2025.
In 2015, walking was by far the most common way: 70% of students came on foot, while only 10% took the school bus, 15% cycled and 5% came by motorbike with a parent. By 2025 the picture had changed. Walking was still the most common, but its share had fallen to 45%, less than half. In contrast, the school bus had tripled, from 10% to 30%, and the share coming by motorbike had also tripled, from 5% to 15%. Cycling fell slightly, from 15% to 10%.
Overall, far fewer students walked in 2025, and many more came by bus or motorbike.

To: rojan@example.com

Subject: I’m so sorry about your football

Dear Rojan,

I owe you a big apology. I promised to return your football before your match on Friday, but I can’t, because I have lost it. Well, it was worse than that: I lent it to my classmate without asking you, and he left it in the park, where it disappeared.

It was your ball, and I had no right to lend it to anyone. I know you saved for months to buy it, and that you were counting on it for the match. I’m really sorry that you had to play with an old one, and that I didn’t even tell you until today.

I want to put this right. I have saved Rs. 1,500 from my Dashain money, and my father has agreed to add the rest, so on Saturday we can go to the sports shop in Banepa together and you can choose a new ball, the same kind or better. From now on, I won’t lend anything that isn’t mine.

I hope you can forgive me. Good luck in the next match: I will be there to cheer for you!

Your cousin,
Santosh