In English, the "shame"has the following meaning
a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute
However, it's common to hear people say something like
(1) It's a shame we can't take them home with us.
(2) It's a shame that you haven't read this book.
In such situations, speakers definitely don't mean "a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute" by "shame". But for many non-native English speakers, it still sounds rude and offensive to listeners. For instance, I never dare to say to my professors that
(3) It's a shame you haven't return our midterm exam papers.
I feel like, though I am not sure, that I should always try to avoid saying "it's a shame…" to anybody that I should show respect to(am I right?).
So I wonder if we can replace "it's a shame" in (1)(2)(3) by other phrases(as polite as possible) in order to avoid the possible offending.
Best Answer
it's a shame that is an idiomatic expression that means it's a pity that. You should not take it literally as should be the case with most idioms. So, when I say that it's a shame that I didn't buy this book for such a low price, I'm making the point that not buying the book for such a low price is as though not doing it were a shameful act. Of course, there is absolutely nothing shameful in not doing that. I'm just using this idiom to better convey the idea behind the situation. In no way does this sound offensive or inappropriate.