--- title: Saying sorry, and the sorry that is not accepted — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Saying sorry, and the sorry that is not accepted», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Kieran calls Lily «Smelly Lily» in front of the class. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/) / Saying sorry, and the sorry that is no… # Saying sorry, and the sorry that is not accepted Lesson 477 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 37 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/0/) — Kieran calls Lily «Smelly Lily» in front of the class. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/1/) — His mum makes him say sorry, so he mumbles «soz» to the floor. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/2/) — Lily says, «That's not a real sorry.» Next day he finds her, looks at her and says, «I'm sorry I called you that. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/3/) — It was horrible and it's not true.» She accepts. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/4/) — A real sorry looks at the person, says what you did and why it was wrong. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/5/) — Some sorries aren't sorries at all. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/6/) — Mia writes Ava a note: «Sorry you got upset.» Ava gets even more upset, because that blames her for feeling bad. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/7/) — Mia's mom helps her write, «Sorry I said your drawing was ugly. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/8/) — It was mean and it wasn't true», and Ava sends back a heart. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/9/) — Jake says «Sorry, innit» to Sam with a big smirk while his mates snigger. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/10/) — Sam says, «Come back when you mean it.» Two days later, alone, Jake does. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/11/) — When Connor pushes Kieran in the dinner queue, Kieran's mum makes him say «it's fine» — but inside he is still angry, so it isn't fine at all. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/12/) — Chloe forgets Aisha's birthday, and instead of a quick text she bakes a lopsided cake with «SORY» iced on top; Aisha laughs and hugs her. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/13/) — After Maddie told Lily's secret, she says a proper sorry; Lily says, «I forgive you, but no secrets for a while.» A month later Lily tries a tiny test secret, Maddie keeps it, and trust starts coming back. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/14/) — Sometimes sorry needs a fix as well. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/15/) — Jake sits on Sam's new headphones and snaps them: «Sorry, mate.» «Sorry doesn't fix them, does it?» Jake pays half from his birthday money, and then Sam accepts. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/16/) — Kieran apologises to Mr Grimshaw for the greenhouse glass, and Mr Grimshaw says, «Apology accepted. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/17/) — You'll weed my veg patch every Saturday for a month.» By the fourth Saturday Kieran knows a carrot from a weed. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/18/) — And Sam says sorry to Mrs Hughes for cheek, and means it: «Thank you, Sam. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/19/) — That was brave. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/20/) — You've still got detention.» Next day she is friendly to him in the corridor. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/21/) — And sometimes the sorry is refused. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/22/) — Maddie apologises to Ellie for laughing when she fell in the mud; Ellie says, «I'm never forgiving you, ever.» Her mum says, «You did the right thing. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/23/) — She might need time, or she might never. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/24/) — That's her choice.» Lily's dad writes a long sorry letter to his brother after ten years; it comes back unopened. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/25/) — «I've done my part, love. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/26/) — The rest is up to him.» Saying sorry is your job; accepting it is theirs. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/27/) — A real apology looks at the person, says what you did, says why it was wrong, and has no excuses. - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/29/) — A sorry said with a smirk or a sarcastic voice is just another dig, and you are allowed to say so. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/30/) — When you break or damage something, a sorry plus making it right, like paying or fixing, is stronger than sorry alone. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/31/) — Saying sorry does not cancel the consequences, such as a detention, but it changes how people see you. - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/32/) — The other person decides whether to accept a sorry; you cannot force forgiveness. - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/33/) — Being made to say «it's fine» when it isn't does not mean you have really forgiven. - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/34/) — Some apologies are refused, sometimes for years; you can only control your own part. - [35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/35/) — Sometimes an action, like a home-made cake, says sorry better than words. - [36](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/36/) — You can forgive someone and still be careful with them for a while; trust comes back step by step. - [37](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/37/) — «Soz» is a quick, slangy way to say sorry, and often sounds like you don't mean it. - ← previous: [The secret that got told](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/476-the-secret-that-got-told/) - next →: [Three's a crowd, and the friend who picks someone else](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)