Refuse means say or show that you will not accept or do something.
The idea
Use refuse an offer with a noun or refuse to sign with an action. The regular past is refused.
Examples
- She refused the offer politely.
- He refused to sign the form.
- I asked for help, but they refused.
- We refused the invitation because we were busy.
- They refused to change their decision.
- Can I refuse an offer without giving a reason?
Read-aloud uses a synthetic English voice on your device. Quality and availability vary; it does not assess pronunciation.
No English device voice is available. You can still read the examples.
Watch out
A refusal does not automatically give a reason or reveal whether it was polite or rude.
Try it yourself
Choose the action pattern. He refused ___ the form. (to sign / signing)
Show answer or example answer
to sign
To sign names the action refused.
Choose the noun pattern. She refused ___. (the offer / to the offer)
Show answer or example answer
the offer
The object offer follows the verb directly.
Decide what the refusal tells us. She refused the offer. Does this sentence state why? (no / yes)
Show answer or example answer
no
The sentence reports refusal but does not specify a reason.
Practice round
Answer questions and rebuild English sentences to practise. Your score is shown.
Choose the action pattern. He refused ___ the form. (to sign / signing)
Choose the noun pattern. She refused ___. (the offer / to the offer)
Decide what the refusal tells us. She refused the offer. Does this sentence state why? (no / yes)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Describe an offer someone refused and state a reason only if it is known.