Out-positive / Concern url
To a friend who just lost a lot of their money in the stock market
- I’m sorry it didn’t pan out.
- I think your nest-egg was your security blanket, and now you’ll just have to pick up the pieces and go on from here.
- This puts you in a terrible position.
- I don’t envy you.
- That’s such a shame.
- You look like you’ve seen a ghost.
- You might have to start over from square one.
- You’ll need all the help that you can get.
- After such an experience, it might turn out that you’ll never be the same.
- You shouldn’t have put all your eggs in one basket.
- It’s written all over your face.
- You’re lucky that it wasn’t much worse than it was.
To a friend who just lost a lot of their money in the stock market
In-neutral / Caution url
A friend giving you investment advice
- It’s a tough world out there.
- It might be worth investigating.
- I don’t think I should press my luck.
- I’m going to have to play it by ear.
- There’s something fishy going on here.
- I can just put two and two together.
- I feel I should just leave it well enough alone.
- A little birdie is whispering to me to look before I leap.
- I could be leaving myself wide open.
- I find it all hard to believe.
- It seems too good to be true.
- I shouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket.
- Tell me, why is it worth the risk?
- There might be a fly in the ointment.
- If you're wrong, it could all blow sky high, and I'd be the one holding the bag.
- That’s all pie in the sky.
A friend giving you investment advice
In-positive / Happiness url
Eating a delicious meal
- It’s the highlight of my day.
- It really hits the spot.
- There’s nothing like it.
- Now that’s more like it.
- I’m as happy as a clam.
- Thank heaven for small miracles.
- I feel an inner glow that will last for some time.
- That’s certainly something to write home about.
Eating a delicious meal
In-positive / Determination url
Marathon runner
- This is excruciatingly hard, but I’m committed to finishing it until the bitter end.
- I do what I have to do.
- I was bound and determined to do it.
- I’ll never be more ready than I am now.
- I’m going for broke.
- No rest for the weary.
- I’m ready to tough it out.
Marathon runner
Out-positive / Friendship url
Saying hello-2
- What have you been doing with yourself lately?
- To what do we owe the honor of your visit?
- I was just this minute thinking of you.
- I have not stopped thinking about you.
- I was just thinking about you.
- How’s it going?
- Make yourself at home.
- Let’s make up for lost time.
- Top of the day to you.
- To what do we owe this honor?
- So, we finally meet.
- It's great seeing you again.
Saying hello-2
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-negative / Anger url
You have gone too far
- I think you’ve gone just a little bit too far this time.
- You’re in big trouble.
- Are you threatening me?
- Now that was a cheap shot.
- You’re down right nasty.
- Aren’t you carrying this a bit too far?
- Who the heck do you think you are?
- Stop that hanky-panky.
- Don’t you have a shred of decency?
- Is nothing sacred anymore?
- How can anyone in his right mind say something like what you just said.
You have gone too far
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
In-positive / Determination url
Politician running for office
- Don’t give up the ship.
- Of all the things I’m doing, this is one of the most important.
- There’s more that one way to skin a cat.
- It’s a long shot.
- That would be something that I would likely do.
- Back up your ideas with courage that will not back down, and there will be no way too long, no road too rough.
- It’s a race against time.
- I shall return.
- I think we’re going to have to bite the bullet.
- That’s when the really hard part comes.
- I’m going to move heaven and earth trying.
Politician running for office
In-neutral / Caution url
A publisher given a story that might be libelous
- I just can’t chance it.
- I’m going to treat it with kid gloves.
- It could blow sky high.
- Let’s not rush into things.
- I may be sitting on a time bomb.
- One option is for is for me to just wait it out.
- I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.
- It’s best if I wait until the whole thing blows over.
- I just don’t feel like bucking the system.
- I’m inclined to just tiptoe around the whole situation.
- I think if I got involved in any way I would be playing with fire.
- My gut feeling is that I should just leave it well enough alone.
- The fact that no one else wants to do it is not a good sign.
- I don't know the person involved from a hole in the wall, and I think I should regard that as a warning signal.
A publisher given a story that might be libelous
Out-neutral / Advice url
Action-1
- Do something about it.
- Get on the ball.
- Give it a whirl.
- There’s no time like the present!
- Don’t put it off.
- Give it the old college try.
- You can’t walk with both feet on the ground.
- Don’t be passive.
- This is the moment of truth.
- Rise to the occasion.
- Take the bull by the horns.
- Strike while the iron is hot.
- This is a chance of lifetime.
Action-1
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Choosing an item from the menu
- It’s six of one or half a dozen of the other.
- I guess I just can’t have it both ways.
- At one point I have to bite the bullet.
- At one point you just have to fish or cut bait.
Choosing an item from the menu