Excuses for being late - Advanced

It happens. We are late for something. That's when we say sorry and normally give a reason - our excuse for being late.

10 expressions to Use In Speaking And Writing: 
  1. Sorry - I didn't hear the alarm clock.
  2. The alarm didn't go off.
  3. I slept right through the alarm.
  4. I had to wait ages for a bus.
  5. The bus was late.
  6. The traffic was terrible.
  7. I couldn't find a parking space.
  8. The roads were chockablock.
  9. I got lost coming here.
  10. It's not an easy place to find.
How To Use These Phrases In Your English: 
  1. 1, 2 and 3 are all about problems waking up. We blame the alarm clock. 2 shows there was a problem with the alarm clock. 3 shows you were so tired that the alarm didn't wake you up.
  2. The traffic is often responsible for us being late. 4 says that the bus is responsible - it didn't arrive when it was supposed to. 5 is similar.
  3. 6. Here we are saying the traffic in general was responsible. You can use this if you are driving or travelling on the bus.
  4. 7 and 8 are common problems for drivers. 7 means that it was difficult to park.
  5. We use 8 to say the roads were full of traffic, like when there is a traffic jam.
  6. 9 and 10 are used when you are visiting a place for the first time and don't know the way.
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