In-positive / Hope url
Before they announce the winner of the lottery
- I think this is it.
- It’s the chance of a lifetime.
- You know anything’s possible!
- We’re banking on it.
- Even if we don’t win, there’s always next year.
- One could only hope.
- This is the moment that we’ve all been waiting for.
- Maybe it will be different this time.
- Keep your fingers crossed.
- We’re hoping there’s a pot of gold on the other side of the rainbow.
- The price is right.
- I hope and pray that the money will now just start rolling in.
- This could be our ticket to freedom.
- Hope springs eternal.
- I have high hopes for it.
- I have a lot riding on it.
- A big change for the better might be just around the corner.
- It would be the answer to my prayers.
Before they announce the winner of the lottery
In-neutral / Caution url
Remembering being lost in the woods
- The memory makes my skin crawl.
- That was a hair raising experience.
- For a while it was touch and go.
- It all came down to the wire.
- I was in trouble up to my ears.
- It was the moment of truth.
- It kind of snuck up on me.
- Just the memory sends a chill up and down my spine.
- There’s a big difference between what I expected and what actually happened.
- There was no easy way out.
- It seemed like an eternity.
- I wasn't counting on it happening the way it did.
- The way it turned out was totally unexpected.
Remembering being lost in the woods
Out-positive / Encouragement url
To a friend going on a much needed vacation
- It will do you a world of good.
- It’s for your own good.
- You’ll feel like a new man.
- You’re more full of vim and vigor than most people half you age.
- It’s an opportunity of a lifetime.
- It's a step in the right direction.
To a friend going on a much needed vacation
Out-neutral / Negotiating url
You’re not negotiating well-2
- Did that ever occur to you?
- I was afraid you’d do that.
- You’re making a mountain out of a molehill.
- Don’t keep harping on it.
- Why did you bring it up in the first place?
- That’s a cop out.
- We’re finally talking about something important, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t change the subject.
- Who asked you?
- That’s the oldest trick in the book.
- You let the cat out of the bag.
- You cried wolf once too often.
- If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
- Come on, spill the beans.
- You act like someone with a chip on his shoulder.
- You can’t pull the wool over my eyes.
- You’re acting like you have a chip on your shoulder.
- You give me no choice but to do what I feel is my obligation to do.
You’re not negotiating well-2
In-positive / Determination url
Therapist with patient
- Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
- This is an opportunity of a lifetime.
- I’m going to tell it to you straight, even if it means bursting your balloon.
- Rome wasn’t built in a day.
- There’s nothing that we can’t do if we put our minds to it.
- Let’s not give up before we start.
- There are so many false starts, but it’s important that we don’t give up hope.
- There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
- It doesn’t have to be that way.
- Unfortunately we often have to learn the hard way.
- Let’s start tying up loose ends.
- All beginnings are hard.
- Often just when we think it will be clear sailing from here on in, POW – something unexpected comes from out of the blue to blow our well laid plans to smithereens, and suddenly it’s back to the drawing board, forcing us to rethink the whole thing through from start to finish, from soup to nuts.
Therapist with patient
Out-positive / Agreement url
Do you think we’d be healthier if we used the staircase instead of the elevator?
- You couldn’t be more right.
- Of course!
- I bet you’re right.
- It’s worth a try.
- I’m all in.
- I’ll go along with that.
- Now that's a great idea!
- That stands to reason.
- That makes so much more sense.
- You have a good point.
Do you think we’d be healthier if we used the staircase instead of the elevator?
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?
Out-positive / Apology url
After stepping on someone’s foot by mistake
- Do you forgive me?
- I’ll take full responsibility for it.
- Whoops, that was a mistake.
- I didn’t mean to do that.
- It was completely unintentional.
- I hope you accept my apologies.
- I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.
- I hope I wasn’t too rough on you.
- I hope I didn’t do anything terribly wrong.
After stepping on someone’s foot by mistake
In-negative / Doubt url
Looking for keys that were lost in the park
- It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.
- Maybe we’ve been looking in the wrong place.
- Maybe we’re barking up the wrong tree.
- I think we’re wasting our time.
- Sometimes you just have to know when to call it quits.
- Let’s just call the whole thing off.
- After all this effort, I no longer know if I’m coming or going.
- I’m totally tuckered out.
- I think it’s a lost cause.
- Let’s do something else for a while and just keep my eyes open for it.
Looking for keys that were lost in the park
In-negative / Explaining url
Waking up after being drunk
- When I woke up I was so disoriented that at first I couldn’t remember where I was.
- I don’t know what to tell you.
- I’m wiped out.
- My head is pounding.
- I feel totally depleted.
- I went into a tailspin.
- I’m going to take a short walk outside just to clear my head.
- I was caught red-handed.
- I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
- The bottom line is that I just couldn’t help it.
- Don’t remind me.
- I feel like I’ve been dragging myself around all day.
- I need more shut-eye.
- It knocked the wind knocked out of me.
Waking up after being drunk
In-positive / Confidence url
Shopping for clothes for camp
- You’ll be out of here so fast your head will spin.
- We’re getting our money’s worth.
- That was a productive use of our time.
- I’ve got it all under control.
- I’m going to have to ride shotgun on this task to make sure it gets done.
- Now this certainly seems like a worthwhile endeavor.
Shopping for clothes for camp
In-negative / Confusion url
Trying to remember why you made a certain decision last year
- I can’t explain it.
- I’m not so sure.
- I don’t know what to say about it.
- I’m not sure exactly.
- I haven’t the slightest idea.
- I can’t put my finger on it.
- I don’t have a clue.
- I don’t remember off the top of my head.
- Your guess is a good as mine.
- That’s the thing I don’t understand.
- How can I be sure?
Trying to remember why you made a certain decision last year