fault, and immediately accept the blame for it by apologizing. If so, you are making a mistake. The
reflex apology is just that: a reflex-an automatic, knee-jerk response, not a considered admission of
guilt. This is a deeply *ingrained rule: when any inadvertent, undesired contact occurs (and to the
English, almost any contact is by definition undesired), we say 'sorry'.
16 In fact, any intrusion, impingement, or imposition of any kind, however minimal or innocuous,
generally requires an apology. We use the word 'sorry' as a prefix to almost any request or question:
'Sorry but do you know if this train stons at Banbury? Sorry, but is this seat free?' 'Sorry do you
