Tell me about a time you accidentally did something that felt rude or embarrassing.

A natural way to answer

Once I called my friend's mum by the wrong name for the whole evening. Nobody corrected me, which made it worse. When I realised, I apologised, but I felt quite embarrassed. It taught me to listen more carefully when I'm introduced to people.

Key phrases to use

• wanted the ground to swallow me up — felt so embarrassed that you wished you could disappear“When I tripped in front of everyone, I wanted the ground to swallow me up.”
• put my foot in it — said something tactless or embarrassing without meaning to“I really put my foot in it when I asked about her ex.”