“Hi Jane, I'm not feeling well this morning.”

You don't want to go to work this morning because you stayed out late last night drinking and now you have a hangover. But you don't want to tell your boss that that's the reason, so you write an email to her which starts with:

Hi Jane,

I'm not feeling well this morning.

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“She got tied up at work.”

Your friend invited you and your wife out to dinner. Your wife couldn't come because she suddenly had something important that she had to do at work. You're explaining why your wife didn't come. You say:

She got tied up at work.

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“Jane wanted me to tell you that she's sorry she couldn't make it.”

A friend invited you and your wife out for dinner with a group of people. Your wife had to work, so she gave you a message to tell to your friend. Now you're telling him the message:

Jess wanted me to tell you that she's sorry she couldn't make it.

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“I don't want to hear any excuses. You need to take responsibility for yourself.”

Your daughter got a bad grade on her first progress report for this school year. You're asking her why, and she complains that her teacher isn't very good. You're angry that she is blaming the grade on the teacher instead of herself. You say:

I don't want to hear any excuses. You need to take responsibility for yourself.

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