74 Apology, regret and reconciliation

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C 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]

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.

1 feeling of guilt or regret 2 declared not guilty (noun = acquittal) 3 said he was sorry and asked for forgiveness (noun = repentance) 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)

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

truce

accord

ceasefire

agreement to stop war while peace discussions take place: The generals from the opposing armies declared/signed an armistice. 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. 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. agreement to stop fighting in order to allow discussions about peace: Both sides have agreed to a ceasefire while talks are underway.

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Fill the gaps with suitable adjectives. There may be more than one possible answer.

1 She had a excuse for not mowing the lawn: she was allergic to grass. 2 I thought he gave rather a excuse and I’m not convinced at all. 3 He went around to her flat on the pretext of wanting to borrow a book. 4 The police had to let her go free, since she had a alibi. 5 I want to offer you all my most apology for the trouble I’ve caused.

Choose the correct adjective to complete each sentence.

1 I persuaded him to come on the rather false / flimsy pretext that I needed some help repairing my bike. 2 The police have struck George off their list of suspects as he has a cast-iron / sincere alibi. 3 Lauren’s excuse for not coming to my party was pretty convincing / lame – you’d have thought she could have come up with something better than that. 4 Kate sends heartfelt / perfect apologies for not coming with me this evening – she’s got a bad dose of flu. 5 The police officer asked us for a detailed / phoney explanation of the events leading up to the incident. 6 I hope you’ve got a weak / good excuse for forgetting it’s my birthday today.

Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first, using the word in capitals. Do not change the form of the word in capitals.

1 ‘I’m sorry I broke your vase, Gina,’ Matt said. (apologised)

Matt her vase. 2 He had acted in a very inhumane way, but the criminal did not seem to repent. (repentance)

The criminal did not the inhumane way in which he had acted. 3 At the end of the trial, the accused was acquitted. (acquittal)

The trial . 4 Sam did not offer any explanation for his strange behaviour. (explain)

Sam he had behaved so strangely.

Correct the errors in these sentences.

1 The President granted him a repentance just an hour before he was due to be executed. 2 He was exonerated of murder in 2014, but two years later was convicted of armed robbery in the same courtroom. 3 She showed a complete lack of reprieve for her evil deeds and just laughed when the judge sentenced her. 4 The Public Inquiry pardoned him from all blame for the accident at the factory. 5 Just before he died, the old man said he remorsed all the bad things he had done in his life. 6 Ten years after his death, Daniel Taylor was given a humorous pardon by the government when another man confessed to the crime he had been hanged for. 7 He treated her badly and she says she simply cannot forget and forgive. 8 The ceasefiring is due to start at 9 pm.

Rewrite the underlined parts of the sentences using words from C on the opposite page and fill the gaps with a suitable verb. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1 The two armies a period without fighting during the religious holiday. 2 Both governments to the terms of the document ending the war permanently and it was signed on 15 August 1954. 3 The long-standing agreement to work together between the government and the unions is in danger of . 4 The generals the agreement to end fighting while peace terms were worked out at midday on 25 February 1996.