Out-positive / Agreement url
Do you like my new style of dressing?
- It’s growing on me.
- It looks fine to me.
- I think it’s a change for the better.
- I think it’s a step in the right direction.
- I agree with your decision.
- Suits me just fine.
Do you like my new style of dressing?
In-negative / Doubt url
To chemist who blew up the lab
- You’re supposed to know these things.
- What have you done?
- How could you do that?
- I can’t believe it.
- You certainly have had a streak of bad luck.
- I didn’t think that was going to happen.
- What were you trying to do?
- Well what did you expect?
- Is that the best you can do?
- Maybe you should choose a different line of work.
- I don’t think anyone expected this result.
- The less said about it the better.
- What have you gotten yourself into?
To chemist who blew up the lab
In-positive / Confidence url
Handing in a task to boss ahead of schedule
- I’m on a roll.
- I’ve been as busy as a bee.
- I’ve gotten the hang of it.
- You ain’t seen nothing yet.
- In order to get this to happen, I had to jump through hoops.
- Sign, sealed and delivered.
- Well that takes care of that.
- What did I tell you?
Handing in a task to boss ahead of schedule
In-negative / Desperation url
Breaking up a long term relationship
- I feel torn apart inside.
- That’s really depressing.
- Things seemed to be going well when all of a sudden our plans fell through.
- It’s tearing me apart at the seams.
- I’m down in the dumps.
- I don’t want to think about it.
- I never thought it would ever come to this.
- Sometimes I think, Why bother?
- Out of the frying pan into the fire.
- I feel shattered.
- I’m afraid I made it worse.
- I made the same mistake again.
Breaking up a long term relationship
Out-neutral / Advice url
Stronger-1
- Stand on you own two feet.
- You’ve got to believe in yourself.
- Having a positive attitude is half the battle.
- Put your foot down.
- Fend for yourself.
- Put a smile on your face.
- Take it like a man.
- Hang in there.
- Show your true colors.
- Give it your best shot.
- You’re going to need to crack down.
Stronger-1
In-negative / Explaining url
Hitting the neighbor's dog with a car
- It took me completely by surprise.
- It came out of the blue.
- It really threw me for a loop.
- I take full responsibility for it.
- The experience has shaken me to the core.
- I had to make a split second decision.
- I had to save my own skin.
- It scared me half to death.
- It really shook me up.
- It’s a very unusual occurrence.
- How do you think I feel?
- Do you think I did it on purpose?
- I don’t know what to say.
- When push comes to shove, it’s not something I could have prevented.
- It was a freak accident.
- It happened in a blink of an eye.
- It sent shivers up my spine.
Hitting the neighbor's dog with a car
Out-positive / Encouragement url
For a friend who just got into a top business school
- You sure have come a long way.
- I’m not surprised that you succeeded, I always knew you had it in you.
- Shoot for the moon, and give it all you’ve got.
- You’re as smart as a whip.
- There’s no limit to what you can accomplish if you put your mind to it.
- What more could you ask for?
- With this under your belt, a golden future can be yours.
- I have absolute faith in you.
- It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.
- I don’t know how you accomplished so much in such a short period of time.
For a friend who just got into a top business school
In-negative / Desperation url
Running away from the Cossacks
- I’m knee deep in alligators.
- I’ve got to get a handle on the situation before it’s too late.
- The people around me are dropping like flies.
- I’m going out of my mind.
- It’s a matter of life and death.
- I’m overcome with fear.
- I just can’t deal with it anymore.
- What going on here?
- I just can’t put up with it any longer.
- It’s every man for himself.
- What else have I got?
Running away from the Cossacks
In-positive / Surprise url
Learning that a friend is ill
- His illness came out of the blue.
- He’s never been sick a day in his life.
- I don’t know what to say.
- I didn’t expect that.
- It’s beyond comprehension.
- What brought this on?
- I still can’t believe it’s true.
- I’m in a state of denial.
- It came as a great shock.
- I found the news earth shattering.
Learning that a friend is ill
Out-positive / Encouragement url
For a friend who didn’t get the promotion he wanted
- You’ll be ok.
- If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
- You put up a good front.
- You’ve done all you can.
- It’s not the end of the line.
- You gave it your best shot.
- It’s nothing to be ashamed of.
- Don’t take it personally.
- I’m sure that thing’s will work out in the long run.
- Apparently it just wasn’t meant to be.
- The race doesn’t always go to the swift, but to those who keep on running.
- These things happen to the best of us.
- It happened through no fault of your own.
For a friend who didn’t get the promotion he wanted
Out-neutral / Advice url
Caution-2
- Leave it well enough alone.
- You’ll regret it in the morning.
- Let sleeping dogs lie.
- Don’t stir up a hornets nest.
- It’s going to backfire on you.
- Don’t rock the boat.
- Your actions might actually make it harder for you to accomplish what you want.
- Those are famous last words.
- Take it one step at a time.
- Sink your teeth into it, and take your time to appreciate the pros and cons of the new situation before you call it a day.
- Hold that thought.
- You lucked out on that one, but next time you may not be as lucky.
- Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
- It’s always good to ask.
- It's spreading like wild fire.
- Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
- Don’t jump the gun.
- Don’t even think about it.
- You’re leaving yourself wide open.
- I understand how much you want it, but it costs an arm and a leg, and it’s just not worth it.
- Easy does it.
Caution-2
In-positive / Realizing url
Hearing that a company went bankrupt
- That was patently obvious to anyone who gave it more than two seconds of thought.
- The secret is out.
- There’s been trouble brewing for a long time.
- I saw it right off the bat.
- Another one bites the dust.
- From what I understand, this is what really happened.
- The fact is I’ve been expecting that to happen all along.
- In the end, what do they have to show for it?
- Seeing is believing.
- I had a hunch that that’s what was happening.
- We should have seen it coming.
- I’m well aware of it, but I denied it to myself.
- It’s the same old problem all over again.
- That’s it in a nutshell.
Hearing that a company went bankrupt