In-positive / Realizing url
Realizing that the maid has been stealing money
- There’s no way around it.
- I hate to admit it.
- It slipped out of her mouth and she showed his true colors.
- I now see her as she really is.
- I’ve had a hunch for the longest time.
- It’s finally out in the clear for everyone to see.
- She finally let the cat out of the bag and told us what really happened.
- I heard it through the grape vine.
- I suspected as much.
- I should have known.
- I know it sounds far-fetched, but I kid you not.
- Perhaps I should have seen that coming.
- In retrospect, I was blind as a bat.
Realizing that the maid has been stealing money
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-neutral / Caution url
Telling someone a secret
- The less said about it the better.
- Don’t breathe a word of it.
- I was sworn to secrecy.
- Mum’s the word.
- This could be something that I might come to regret.
- This might be against my better judgement.
- I have to ask myself, why am I doing this?
Telling someone a secret
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Losing an election
- I guess I had it coming to me.
- It’s just wasn’t in the cards.
- You win some, you loose some.
- I guess I’ll just have to learn to live with it.
- I think I got the picture.
- That’s about the size of it.
- He was bound and determined to do it.
- He won, hands down.
- He’s a better man than I am.
- It’s was a forgone conclusion.
- The show’s over.
- That’s just the way it is.
- It was a missed opportunity.
- I had a feeling that would happen.
Losing an election
In-negative / Explaining url
Throwing out a bag of laundry by mistake
- How was I supposed to know?
- What did I do this time?
- That never would have occurred to me.
- I wish I had known.
- I had no way of knowing.
- OK, I’m not perfect.
- I apologize profusely.
- It was totally unintentional.
- There’s nothing I can do about it now.
- My humble apologies.
- Sorry about that.
- If I knew what I was doing, I certainly wouldn’t have done it.
- I certainly didn’t do it on purpose.
- They looked so similar that I had no way of knowing.
- It came as a surprise to me.
- I’m awfully sorry.
- How was I supposed to know that?
Throwing out a bag of laundry by mistake
Out-neutral / Negotiating url
I see your point of view
- I understand your position.
- I got the point.
- You’ve made your point.
- You started me thinking.
- That’s a point well taken.
- You have a point.
- I must say, that is very tempting.
- That sounds like a reasonable alternative.
- OK, sounds like a plan.
- I must admit that what you are saying has the ring of truth.
I see your point of view
In-positive / Surprise url
Learning that a friend is a thief
- I’m shocked to say the least.
- I suspected it was true, but I didn’t put 2 and 2 together.
- I was so shocked because it happened right out of nowhere.
- The truth comes out at last.
- I didn’t expect it at all.
- I never would have suspected it.
- Speaking of the devil.
- Good grief.
- Ahah, just as I suspected.
- What was that all about?
- In all my years I never thought I’d live to see the day when you would say something like that.
- The cat is out of the bag.
- That came from out of left field.
- I am shocked beyond belief.
Learning that a friend is a thief
Out-neutral / Advice url
Realistic-1
- Try to be realistic, don’t be fooled by wishful thinking.
- You’re kidding yourself.
- You can only go so far.
- Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
- Life’s not fun and games.
- In my opinion, you’re just fooling yourself.
- I’m just suggesting that you should look at your options again, because in the long run, I think you’re setting yourself up for endless let downs.
- Try to see the situation for what it is, because it’s better if you don’t have to learn that the hard way.
- It’s a question you have to ask yourself.
- You have to be realistic.
- You’re living in a fool’s paradise.
- The reason your ideas are not more successful is that they are all half-baked.
- You’re spending money like it was going out of style.
Realistic-1
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Being offered a job
- Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse.
- It’s better late than never.
- I’ll buy that.
- All’s well that ends well.
- If the shoes fits wear it.
- That works out best all around.
Being offered a job
Out-neutral / Observation url
General-2
- Now you see it now you don’t.
- Who knows what evil lurk in the minds of men?
- One thing leads to another.
- It’s not all fun and games.
- The tree grows as the twig is bent.
- It’s a drop in the bucket.
- It’s happened once and it will happen again.
- It’s not always so cut and dry.
- You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them.
- Some people never learn.
General-2
In-positive / Hope url
When your candidate is elected
- Maybe there’s hope for us yet.
- It could turn things around.
- Things are looking up.
- It’s the wave of the future.
- That’s a good sign.
- I hope to heaven that what you’re telling me is true.
- It took a long time to happen, but it was worth waiting for.
- At times we didn’t think it would be successful, but now it might be a dream come true.
- The best is yet to come.
When your candidate is elected
Out-positive / Encouragement url
To a child who finished their homework
- Now that didn’t take so long, did it?
- Good for you.
- That sounds just great.
- Perfect!
- That was a very admirable thing to do.
- Awesome!
- Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?
- Aren’t you glad that’s over with?
- Don’t you admit that it looked like it was going to be much harder than it turned out to be?
- See what you are capable of doing when you put your mind to it?
- That's my girl!
To a child who finished their homework