2. Compose short dialogues making use of the table:

A	B
Sorry I've kept you waiting. Excuse my interrupting you. Excuse my back. I hope, I didn’t hurt you. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I meant no offence.	That's (perfectly) all right. Never mind. Forget it. No harm done.

3. React to the following:

1. Sorry I've kept you waiting. 2. Don't hold it against me. 3. I'm afraid I've taken up too much of your time. 4. Excuse my troubling you. 5. Excuse my disturbing you. 6. No offence meant. 7.1 must apologize to you.

3. Change the sentences beginning your apologies with:

"Excuse my being. . . (doing. . .)".

Model: Sorry, I'm late. I'm sorry I mentioned it.

Excuse my being late. Excuse my mentioning it.

1. I'm sorry, it was rude of me. 2. I'm afraid I've been impolite. Excuse me. 3.I owe you an apology for being inconsiderate. 4. Sorry to interrupt you. 5.I hate to trouble you, but could you give me a hand with the book-case, it's so heavy. 6. Am I intruding? Pardon me. 7. I've got to apologize for interfering.

Greetings

How do you do? Hello! (фам.) Hello, everybody! (фам.) Good morning! Good afternoon! Good evening! Hi! (амер. фам.)

Здравствуйте! Привет! Здравствуйте (приветствие всем присутствующим). Доброе утро! Добрый день! Добрый вечер! Привет!

Get it right

How do you do

How do you do? is not a question but a greeting the customary reply to which is How do you do? It is now used almost exclusively in formal introductions.

For example:

Mr A: Mr Brown, I'd like to introduce/to meet you Peter Fry, a colleague of mine.

Mr B: How do you do?

Mr С: How do you do?

Although this sentence is in the form of a question, it has lost its interrogative meaning and requires no answer, except a repetition of How do you do? by the person to whom it is first addressed.

How do you do? is still occasionally used as a greeting addressed to someone whom the speaker already knows, but such usage is old-fashioned and not to be recommended. Here Good morning/afternoon/evening should be used in formal situations and Hello in informal style. Note that Good day is not used nowadays, either as a greeting or when leaving someone.

EXERCISES

1. Give possible replies to the following greetings:

1. Good evening, Miss Smith. 2. Hello, Bill! 3. Good morning! 4. Good afternoon, George! 5. How do you do? 6. Good morning, everybody!

2. Give the appropriate greetings for the following situations.

1. You meet a friend in the street. 2. You are introduced to a friend's parents. 3. You come home in the evening. (Your family is there.) 4. You meet a senior member of the university staff at about 3 p. m. 5. You meet a neighbour of about your own age while shopping in the morning. 6. You meet one of your teachers, whom you know rather well, at a concert. 7. You meet your neighbour’s son, aged 9, when leaving home. 8. You introduced to a friend’s sister at a party.