He said sorry to his mother vs He said 'sorry' to his mother

Both phrases are correct, but they have slightly different meanings. 'He said sorry to his mother' implies that he expressed regret or apologized to his mother. On the other hand, 'He said 'sorry' to his mother' indicates that he verbally mentioned the word 'sorry' to his mother.

Last updated: March 23, 2024 • 859 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"He said sorry to his mother"

This phrase is used to indicate that someone expressed regret or apologized to their mother.

Examples:

He said sorry to his mother for forgetting her birthday.
She said sorry to her mother for breaking the vase.
They said sorry to their mother for coming home late.
He always says sorry to his mother after an argument.
She never said sorry to her mother for her mistakes.

Show examples from the web [+]

He said he'd kill his mother if he testified.
He said he was going to tell his mother.
He said his mother was captured and his father...
He said his mother had gone to the Liberal rally in Ripon.
That's when he said Anna wasn't his mother.
Someone I've never faced, or said sorry to.
He said he made a cup for his mother.
He said his mother was murdered, said you knew something about it.
I mentioned to him he was a little older than most of our students, and he said he needed to escape from his mother.
He said that his mother went through so much to bear him.
He said he lived with his mother and father on East 74th Street.
I've never said sorry to her.
He found a message on the answering machine that was sorry to inform him his mother had just died that morning.
ARCHER: I said I was sorry, Mother!
When Barry was a kid, he said he saw red and yellow lightning in his house the night his mother died.
I saw him earlier and he said his mother would say that Sophie was abducted because he wasn't a gentleman.
He said that he heard his mother and his sister fighting about a bad man.
Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away, so he said to his mother, I am running away.
He said he saw his mother die right in front of his eyes.
He said he's worried about his mother, so he keeps following me.

Alternatives:

He apologized to his mother.
He expressed regret to his mother.
He asked for forgiveness from his mother.
He made amends with his mother.
He sought forgiveness from his mother.

This phrase is correct and can be used when specifically mentioning the word 'sorry' in the conversation.

"He said 'sorry' to his mother"

This phrase is used to indicate that someone verbally mentioned the word 'sorry' to their mother.

Examples:

He said 'sorry' to his mother for his mistake.
She always says 'sorry' to her mother when she's wrong.
They said 'sorry' to their mother for the trouble they caused.
He never said 'sorry' to his mother before.
She said 'sorry' to her mother for the misunderstanding.

Show examples from the web [+]

Therefore, in contemplating our strategy on how to deal with him in the future, let us start by saying 'sorry' to the Venezuelan people.
...I never said 'I'm sorry' to nobody for nothing I did.
'Sorry' isn't going to repair the damage you have done.
He said he'd kill his mother if he testified.
He said he was going to tell his mother.
He said his mother was captured and his father...
He said his mother had gone to the Liberal rally in Ripon.
That's when he said Anna wasn't his mother.
But he said 'get ready to us'.
He said 'The plan is complex and delicately balanced.
He said he made a cup for his mother.
He said his mother was murdered, said you knew something about it.
I mentioned to him he was a little older than most of our students, and he said he needed to escape from his mother.
He said that his mother went through so much to bear him.
He said he lived with his mother and father on East 74th Street.
But, what is that 'sorry' story?
He said 'Right as rain'.
I know, he said 'Whoever does houses with concrete instead of sand and cowpat is a fool'.
You may recall that at a previous debate I took inspiration from the late, great Elvis Presley when he said 'it's now or never'.
He said 'constraints in agriculture' when he meant 'excluded products'.

Alternatives:

He verbally apologized to his mother.
He explicitly said 'sorry' to his mother.
He mentioned the word 'sorry' to his mother.
He used the word 'sorry' with his mother.
He specifically said 'sorry' to his mother.

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He said sorry to his mother vs He said 'sorry' to his mother

"He said sorry to his mother"

"He said 'sorry' to his mother"

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