74
Apology, regret and reconciliation A
Apologies and excuses: collocations adjective collocations
noun
sincere, heartfelt
apology
good, perfect, lame, flimsy, weak convincing, detailed, phoney
excuse explanation
cast-iron, convincing, perfect, phoney
alibi
flimsy, false
pretext [pretended reason for doing something rather than real reason]
He offered his most heartfelt apology for having offended everyone. [most sincere apology] It was a rather lame excuse, and nobody really believed it. [weak excuse] The police were convinced the suspect’s explanation was phoney, but could not prove it. [false] The police questioned her about the murder, but she had a cast-iron alibi: she had spent the whole day teaching at the local primary school. [firm reason why she was innocent] He got an interview with her on the rather flimsy pretext of being interested in her research. [weak and not very believable excuse]
B
Regretfulness in legal contexts
CRIME WATCH When he was pronounced guilty of fraud, Jack Mosley showed no remorse1 whatsoever. He was sentenced to ten years in prison. All three of his companions who were on trial with him were acquitted2 of the crime and walked out of the courtroom free. Mosley later repented3 whilst in prison and his sentence was reduced by one year. feeling of guilt or regret declared not guilty (noun = acquittal) 3 said he was sorry and asked for forgiveness (noun = repentance) 1 2
The President issued a posthumous pardon to the man, who, it seems, had been wrongly accused of treason. [official forgiveness after someone’s death for crimes they were unjustly convicted for] The Committee of Inquiry exonerated the Minister from all responsibility for the disaster. [declared someone to be free of blame]
The condemned man received a last-minute reprieve the day before he was due to be executed. [official
order stopping or delaying punishment]
It is hard for the victims of crime to forgive and forget. (these two verbs are always in this order)
C
154
Peace and reconciliation type of agreement
explanation and example
treaty
written agreement between two or more countries: The two nations signed a peace treaty in 2014.
armistice
agreement to stop war while peace discussions take place: The generals from the opposing armies declared/signed an armistice.
truce
agreement between two enemies to stop fighting for a period of time: The two fighting politicians called a truce, agreeing to put their differences behind them for the good of the country.
accord
official agreement, especially between countries: There are fears that the current period of accord between the two sides in the civil war is at risk of collapsing.
ceasefire
agreement to stop fighting in order to allow discussions about peace: Both sides have agreed to a ceasefire while talks are underway.
English Vocabulary in Use Advanced
