In-negative / Doubt url
Someone saying he’s going on a new starvation diet
- It’s too high a price to pay.
- What gave you that idea?
- I just can’t picture it.
- You can’t believe everything you read.
- Boy, do you bounce from one extreme to another.
- I have a sneaking suspicion that you’re wasting your time.
- I’m sure you will, but I don’t give it much of a chance of success.
- The odds are against it.
- Where have I heard all of this before?
- I hope you know what you’re doing.
- You’ve got to take it with a grain of salt.
Someone saying he’s going on a new starvation diet
In-negative / Explaining url
Coming late for an appointment
- I just plum forgot.
- It slipped my mind.
- Forgive me, I just didn’t remember.
- I didn’t do it on purpose.
- I hope you understand.
- Please don’t take it personally.
- I knew I forgot something.
- I’ve been burning the candle at both ends.
- I’ve been crazy busy lately.
- I have a lot on my plate.
- The time just slipped through my fingers.
- I just have no sense of time.
Coming late for an appointment
In-positive / Realizing url
Finding out 'who did it' at the end of a mystery novel
- I could see it right from the beginning.
- I suspected as much.
- It finally dawned on me.
- That explains everything!
- That’s it, in a nutshell.
- It was the missing link.
- Just put two and two together, and it all makes sense.
- I saw it coming, because though it didn’t seem so at first, in retrospect it was a dead give away.
- It will do it to you every time.
- It was on the tip of my tongue all along.
- That never would have occurred to me.
- I don’t know why that didn’t occur to me.
Finding out 'who did it' at the end of a mystery novel
Out-negative / Anger url
I will stop you-1
- This means war.
- I have a bone to pick with you.
- I’ll get even with you, and even though you’re sitting pretty right now, I think in the long run you are going to regret what you did.
- Wait till I get my hands on you.
- I want to have it out with you.
- I’ll pay you back for this.
- Let’s settle this once and for all.
- Don’t mess with me.
- Don’t start up with me.
- If you think you’re going to get away with that, you’ve got another guess coming.
- Don’t you dare play your stupid, silly games with me.
- You’re not going to get away with it.
I will stop you-1
Out-positive / Friendship url
Saying goodbye-1
- Glad I caught you just before you were about to leave.
- Keep me posted.
- Have a good day.
- Enjoy yourself.
- Have a great day.
- See you soon.
- I’ll be in touch.
- OK, I’d better run.
- See you later alligator.
- Got to run.
- See you around.
- Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.
- We’ll have to get together more often.
- It was great seeing you again.
- Don’t make yourself a stranger.
Saying goodbye-1
In-positive / Surprise url
A friend becomes president of the company
- Goodness gracious.
- Well what do you know?
- It’s too good to be true.
- For goodness sakes.
- For heaven’s sake.
- It took us all by surprise.
A friend becomes president of the company
Out-neutral / Advice url
Examine-2
- Get both sides of the story.
- There’s more to it than that.
- There’s more to it that meets the eye.
- Take note of it.
- Get to the root of the problem.
- Keep your eyes peeled.
- You’ll see.
- A picture is worth a thousand words
Examine-2
Out-negative / Anger url
Go away
- Take a hike.
- Bug-off.
- Go fly a kite!
- I don’t ever want to see you again.
- What I’d like is some privacy.
- Get out of here, and I don’t ever want to set my eyes on you again.
- Don’t ever show your face here again.
- Get off my back.
- I’m warning you.
Go away
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
Out-positive / Concern url
To a friend who is trying to decide whether to marry their boyfriend
- How do you feel about it?
- So what did you finally decide?
- Are you having second thoughts?
- You’re such a worry-wart.
- You look puzzled.
- You’re a scaredy cat.
- In your investigation, did you come up with anything?
- Perhaps you should consider being a little bit more flexible.
- You can’t be too careful.
- Why are you fighting it?
- Look before you leap.
- He who hesitates is lost.
- Perhaps you shouldn't be too judgmental.
- Have an open mind.
- I have some information, does it ring a bell?
- Don’t let yourself get rushed into it.
- Look before you leap.
To a friend who is trying to decide whether to marry their boyfriend
Out-positive / Agreement url
I followed your advice, and told her that I was sorry, and that ended the argument
- That’s just what I said.
- That’s what I figured.
- I know that only all too well from personal experience.
- I knew you’d understand.
- That’s more like it.
- No harm done.
- That was a step in the right direction.
- I think that made the most sense.
- I’m glad you gave it a try.
- That is very cool.
- I'm happy that it all worked out for the best.
- Been there, done that.
I followed your advice, and told her that I was sorry, and that ended the argument
In-negative / Desperation url
Working 3 jobs to make ends meet
- I can’t take it anymore.
- I’ve reached the bottom of the barrel.
- I’ve been so busy lately that I’m running myself ragged.
- I’m going to lose my mind.
- The harder I try the worse everything gets.
- I feel so inadequate.
- I feel like I’m busting at the seams.
- I just seem to be spinning my wheels, without getting anything accomplished.
- Life’s not a picnic.
- I’ve been working my fingers to the bone.
- I’ve been in the same old rut as long as I can remember.
- How much more of this do you think I can take?
- I feel weighed down by my problems, and by life in general.
- I’m running on empty.
Working 3 jobs to make ends meet