In the English-speaking world being punctual (arriving at a business meeting, appointment etc... on time) is very important. If you don't, the people you are going meet will not be very happy.
But if you are late to something, there are some things that you can say to make the situation better.
First of all, if you know you are going to be more than 5 minutes late, it is essential that you telephone the people to tell them, explain why and apologise. When you arrive, you need to apologise and explain why again.
In this online exercise you will learn (by reading a text and then doing a quiz) the vocabulary you can use to do this (how to apologise, how to explain why you are late) and other words and phrases that are connected to lateness.
This vocabulary can be used in both business and non-business situations.
Click here to see more of our free online exercises on business meeting vocabulary
Read the below conversation between a person late to a business meeting and the Chair (person in charge) of the meeting. The first part is a telephone call and the second is when the person has arrived at the business meeting.
From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are. Then do the quiz at the end to check if you are right.
John:'Hello, John Smith speaking.'
Ray: 'Hi John, it's Ray Carver. I'm afraid that I'm going to be late for the meeting.'
John:'Ok, no problem.'
Ray:'Sorry, I'm stuck in traffic on the M30. I've been here for 30 minutes. I'm not sure if there's been an accident or if there are roadworks up ahead.'
John:'Don't worry. Simon Jenkins is also running late. His flight has been delayed by 45 minutes. Do you know when you'll arrive?'
Ray:'To be honest, it's hard to say. As I said, I've been in the traffic jam for 30 minutes and the traffic is still crawling. Maybe 15 minutes late.'
John:'Ok, if you're going to be any later let me know.'
Ray:'Ok, will do. See you later.'
Ray:'Sorry I'm late. The traffic was terrible. I hope I have not missed anything.'
John:'No you haven't Ray, we started 5 minutes ago. Take a seat.'
Below is a definition/description of each of the words/phrases in bold from the above text. Now choose the word/phrase from the question's selection box which you believe answers each question. Only use one word/phrase once. Click on the "Check" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.
When the answer is correct, two icons will appear next to the answer. The icon contains extra information on the word/phrase. In the
icon, you can listen to the pronunciation of the word/phrase.
Now that you understand the meaning of the words/phrases and when to use them, practise using them by creating your own sentences with them in English. Also click on the icon next to each correct answer and listen how each is pronounced correctly.
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