Business English Vocabulary Quiz: Pick the Right Adjective for an Excuse

Updated: 6 days ago

Welcome to the Business English Vocabulary Quiz!

Today’s Focus:

A common adjective for a weak or unconvincing excuse.

Today's Challenge:

Imagine someone giving yet another flimsy reason for being late. Which adjective completes the sentence?

He told me he was late because his alarm didn’t go off. Again! Such a _____ excuse.

A) lame

B) valid

C) convincing

D) sincere

Choose the correct option and listen to the sentence.

Did you get it right?

LAME EXCUSE

phrase

a bad or weak excuse that no one believes

Saying your dog ate your report is a pretty lame excuse.

He said his phone died, but it sounded like a lame excuse.

VALID EXCUSE

phrase

a good and fair reason for something

Being sick is a valid excuse for missing work.

She had a valid excuse for leaving early—her child was sick.

CONVINCING EXCUSE

phrase

an excuse that sounds believable

Her excuse about the power outage was so convincing that no one questioned her.

His detailed explanation of the emergency was a convincing excuse.

SINCERE EXCUSE

phrase

a real and honest excuse

He gave a sincere excuse for forgetting my birthday and made it up to me.

She had a sincere excuse for canceling our plans—her child was running a high fever.

That's right! The correct answer is A) lame.

Business English Vocabulary Quiz: Common Adjectives

Read the full article on Business English adjectives here.