In-positive / Determination url
Writer writing a novel
- This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
- I’m going to do it slowly, getting my feet wet gradually step by step.
- I’ve been meaning to do this for a long time.
- I’ll hit the ground running.
- Now I really have to buckle down and get to work.
- Ready or not here I come.
- Another day and I’m up at the crack of dawn.
- I’ve paid my dues.
- Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
- I feel like I have boundless energy.
- I’m making progress, slowly but surely.
- I want to put some finishing touches on it before I wrap it up.
Writer writing a novel
Out-neutral / Observation url
General-3
- It’s as pure as the driven snow.
- Two wrongs don’t make a right.
- Some things never change.
- What you see is what you get.
- It takes one to know one.
- That’s par for the course.
- You see one, you’ve seen them all.
- What goes around, comes around.
- They’re a dime a dozen.
General-3
In-neutral / Caution url
A friend giving you investment advice
- It’s a tough world out there.
- It might be worth investigating.
- I don’t think I should press my luck.
- I’m going to have to play it by ear.
- There’s something fishy going on here.
- I can just put two and two together.
- I feel I should just leave it well enough alone.
- A little birdie is whispering to me to look before I leap.
- I could be leaving myself wide open.
- I find it all hard to believe.
- It seems too good to be true.
- I shouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket.
- Tell me, why is it worth the risk?
- There might be a fly in the ointment.
- If you're wrong, it could all blow sky high, and I'd be the one holding the bag.
- That’s all pie in the sky.
A friend giving you investment advice
Out-positive / Encouragement url
To a quarterback at half-time with the score tied
- Knock ‘em dead.
- Give it all you’ve got!
- It’s a great start.
- It’s your moment of truth.
- Don’t give out on us now.
- The sky’s the limit.
- We’re confident that if you break through, you’ll be in the clear.
To a quarterback at half-time with the score tied
Out-neutral / Negotiating url
Can you see my viewpoint?
- Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?
- Do you read me?
- Am I getting through to you?
- Do I make myself clear?
- Are we on the same page?
- Do you get the picture?
- Do you know what I mean?
- Do you see what I mean?
- How does that grab you?
- Will you consider it?
- Do you understand?
- How can I make you understand?
- You can understand, can’t you?
- Catch my drift?
- Will that present a problem?
- Does that ring a bell?
- Will you think about what I said?
- First off, let’s make sure that we’re on the same page.
- I’m just letting you know that this is how I see the situation.
- I'm just trying to be helpful.
Can you see my viewpoint?
In-positive / Confidence url
Starting a new job
- I’m going straight to the top.
- I have what it takes.
- I’ll get the hang of it.
- Things are going my way.
- I know where it’s at.
- I’m perfectly capable of doing it.
- I’m getting the hang of it.
- It’s going ahead as planned.
- You can rest assured that everything will be taken care of, and that everything will exceed your expectations.
Starting a new job
Out-positive / Apology url
After a boss tells a worker that management won’t let him give the worker an expected raise
- I only wish I could have done more.
- I did the best I could.
- I’m sorry, my hands are tied.
- It might not make any sense to you, but that’s what they decided, and I hope you understand.
- I’m sorry that it’s not the answer you hoped for.
- My apologies that it took me longer to get the answer than I thought it would.
- I hope that we’ll be able to give you a better answer next time.
- I’m hoping this is something you can live with for the time being.
- I was told to explain to you that it’s due to circumstances beyond their control.
- Please give us a chance to make it up to you next time.
After a boss tells a worker that management won’t let him give the worker an expected raise
In-negative / Explaining url
Apartment is a mess
- I can only do what I can do.
- I try not the pay attention to these things.
- What difference does it make anyway?
- There’s a method to the madness.
- I’m getting nowhere fast.
- I’m on a tight schedule, and it just doesn’t leave me time for these things.
- I’m strapped for time.
- You can understand, can’t you?
- In the large scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter, does it?
- I just have a different set of priorities than you do.
- I haven’t gotten around to it yet.
- Out of sight, out of mind.
- At least I know where everything is.
Apartment is a mess
Out-positive / Encouragement url
For a friend who’s hesitant about eating an exotic food for the first time
- What are you waiting for?
- Try it, you’ll like it.
- Don’t worry about a thing.
- Put yourself at ease.
- There’s nothing to worry about.
- I assure you whole-heartedly that you won’t regret it.
- You’ll see soon enough that your fears are unfounded.
- It all goes into the same stomach.
- Forewarned is forearmed.
For a friend who’s hesitant about eating an exotic food for the first time
Out-neutral / Negotiating url
Let’s work things out-2
- May I offer a suggestion?
- One hand washes the other.
- That’s why we’re here.
- What do we have to lose?
- One for all and all for one.
- I’m saying this for your ears and your ears only, and I hope it doesn’t go beyond the two of us: mum’s the word.
- No strings attached.
- It’s a two way street.
- That’s no big deal.
- You know very well that I take this very seriously and that I can be trusted to keep under wraps what you just told me in confidence.
- It will all sink in eventually, when this is all behind us.
- We can work it out.
Let’s work things out-2
In-positive / Confidence url
While being lost in a forest
- It’s no cause for alarm.
- There’s always a way.
- It won’t be long now.
- We can walk on our own two feet.
- I’m hoping for the best.
- We’ll be alright.
- I’m confident that I can do it by hook or by crook.
- Were in the home stretch.
- Let’s rise to the occasion.
- Keep a stiff upper lip.
- It’s just a rule of thumb that I use in situations like this.
- It’s just a matter of time until we’ll find a way out.
- It should be clear sailing from here on in.
- We’re making progress.
While being lost in a forest
In-negative / Doubt url
To someone who claims that a swamp is great real estate
- That’s going too far.
- That’s not very likely.
- Don’t make me laugh.
- You’ve got to be kidding.
- Do you really believe that?
- I rather doubt it.
- I don’t believe it for one minute.
- Do you expect me to believe that crap?
- That doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of being successful.
- That’s a hare brained idea.
- It’s the same old run-around.
- I don’t buy it.
- It sounds kind of fishy.
- He’s stretching the truth.
- I wouldn’t put it past you.
- Do you expect me to believe that?
- I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you.
To someone who claims that a swamp is great real estate