Out-positive / Encouragement url
For a friend who’s tied in a final set of a tennis match
- That’s the spirit.
- You’ve got it in the palm of your hand.
- You’ve got what it takes.
- You’ve got to come through, we’re all depending on you.
- We’re all rooting for you.
- Take the bull by the horns.
- You can do it.
- The ball is in your court.
- Give it your best shot.
- Give it the old college try.
- We’re all counting on you.
- It’s all up to you.
- Get a move on it, and strike the iron while it’s hot.
- It’s shaping up to be a moment of truth.
- This is your big chance, don’t blow it.
For a friend who’s tied in a final set of a tennis match
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-negative / Anger url
You deserve punishment
- It serves you right.
- No more Mister nice guy.
- You’re asking for it.
- You deserved exactly what you got.
- You won’t get away with this.
- You’ll pay for this.
- You’re not fit to wipe my feet on.
You deserve punishment
Out-positive / Thanks url
After your boss tells you he convinced management to give you a nice raise
- I owe you a debt of gratitude Thank you for your time and effort, and of course the result.
- My gratitude knows no bounds.
- You helped me out of a tight financial squeeze.
- I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done.
- Thanks for the vote of confidence.
- Thanks a bunch.
- Thanks for letting me know as soon as you found out.
- You don’t know how good that makes me feel to hear you say that.
- That’s great.
After your boss tells you he convinced management to give you a nice raise
In-positive / Determination url
Manager of sales
- What are we waiting for?
- Strike while the iron is hot.
- We shouldn’t let this opportunity slip through our fingers.
- Let me make myself crystal clear.
- We have to take our chances.
- Let’s just get the ball rolling.
- That settles it.
- We’re off to a flying start.
- Even though in the short run it may be very difficult, in the long run it has the highest chances of success.
- Let’s take the ball and run with it.
- Oh well, it's back to the drawing board.
- You can’t put me off for another minute.
- We got off to a rip-roaring start.
- There’s no I in team.
- There's nothing that we can't accomplish if we put our minds to it.
- We can come up to speed in no time at all.
- We’re making up for lost time.
- Let's push it over the top.
- The goal is well within our reach.
- We have to be on the top of our game, and not get lulled into complacency.
Manager of sales
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Losing a bet at the casino
- Them’s the breaks.
- I’ll make the best of it.
- Eventually I’m going to have to face the music.
- I’ve learned my lesson.
- That just goes to show you.
- I should have seen that coming a mile away.
Losing a bet at the casino
Out-neutral / Negotiating url
You are wrong
- That’s where you’re wrong.
- I should think not.
- That’s out of the question.
- That’s not so.
- If you think I’m going to go along with you on that, you have another guess coming.
- You had your chance.
- You just wait and see.
- I wouldn’t be so sure of that.
- That doesn’t even come close.
- You’re sadly mistaken.
- You couldn’t fool me for a minute.
- You are way off base.
- Nothing could be further from the truth.
- That option is just not in the realm of possibility.
- That choice is just out of the question.
You are wrong
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
Finding a parking place 5 blocks from the restaurant
- This is a good place as any.
- It’s certainly not what we hoped for, but it’s better than nothing.
- I think we don’t have much of a choice.
- That’s good enough for me.
- That’s to be expected.
- That’s just the way it’s going to have to be then.
Finding a parking place 5 blocks from the restaurant
Out-positive / Agreement url
I think it’s good that you’ve been going to sleep earlier and getting more sleep.
- I’m glad you approve.
- You better believe it!
- That’s the understatement of the year.
- That’s exactly how I feel about it.
- I can feel the improvement already.
I think it’s good that you’ve been going to sleep earlier and getting more sleep.
In-neutral / Acceptance url
After an operation
- It’s just going to take time.
- I’m feeling as well as can be expected given the circumstances.
- I think for a while I’ll just have to get used to living with it hanging over my head.
- I’ll take each day as it comes.
- I wouldn’t have it any other way.
- It is what it is.
- I can’t complain.
- Every cloud has a silver lining.
- It takes some getting used to.
- At first after the operation, I felt achy all over, but I recovered bit by bit, day by day, slowly but surely.
- It could have been a whole lot worse.
- Life has its challenges.
After an operation
Out-positive / Agreement url
Instead of throwing out plastic bottles, I think we should recycle them.
- That really hits the nail on the head.
- I hear you as clear as a bell.
- That’s exactly what I think.
- Good idea.
- I can’t argue with you.
- I must admit that I see your point.
- You’re absolutely right.
- That’s true.
- That's not a bad idea.
- I couldn’t agree with you more.
- That sounds like a plan.
Instead of throwing out plastic bottles, I think we should recycle them.