Total Phrases- 4535
1 of 402

In-negative / Doubt url

To friend who claims he knows how to win the lottery

  1. The chances of that happening are pretty close to zero.
  2. How do you figure that?
  3. You don’t say?
  4. Don’t count on it.
  5. You can’t mean that.
  6. It doesn’t work that way.
  7. That’s what they all say.
  8. How can you be so cock-sure of yourself?
  9. It’s all in your head.
  10. It’s not very likely to happen that way.
  11. It’s about time you started being realistic.
  12. Wake up and smell the coffee.

To friend who claims he knows how to win the lottery

In-negative / Doubt
2 of 402

Out-negative / Anger url

Stay away from me

  1. Mind your own business.
  2. Don’t butt in.
  3. Will you lay off?
  4. Don’t start with me.
  5. Stay out of it and mind your own business.
  6. I don’t want your two cents worth.
  7. Keep your hands to yourself.
  8. Leave me alone.
  9. It is no business of yours.
  10. Stop bugging me.

Stay away from me

Out-negative / Anger
3 of 402

Out-positive / Encouragement url

To a High School student who won the science fair

  1. You’re a real expert.
  2. That needed out of the box thinking, and you rose to the occasion.
  3. You should be proud of the fact that you did it all by yourself, with almost no help from anyone else.
  4. You just scratched the surface of what you can accomplish.
  5. I guess you’re curious about what makes things tick.
  6. It’s right up your alley.

To a High School student who won the science fair

Out-positive / Encouragement
4 of 402

Out-neutral / Advice url

Be Resourceful

  1. Try to find a clever solution that would be like killing two birds with one stone.
  2. Here's an idea that you might find useful.
  3. Fight fire with fire.
  4. You should have thought of that before, but now you'll have to make up for lost time.
  5. Hold onto it, because you never know when it will come in handy.
  6. Drink some coffee, or take a quick nap, and that might perk you up.
  7. If you put your thinking cap on, maybe you’ll come up with a creative solution.
  8. Rise to the occasion.
  9. Put your thinking cap on.
  10. Try to come up with an 'out-of-the-box' solution.
  11. I came up with idea from out of the blue.
  12. I think that a solution to this problem might require a paradigm shift, a whole new way of looking at the situation.
  13. Ahah!

Be Resourceful

Out-neutral / Advice
5 of 402

In-negative / Confusion url

Being a victim of a robbery

  1. I haven’t the faintest idea what happened.
  2. OK, now what do I do?
  3. I don’t know what to say.
  4. It’s hard to believe.
  5. I feel totally disoriented.
  6. I'm shell-shocked.
  7. What happened is weird, and can’t be explained so easily.
  8. This really messed up my schedule, but I’ll do what I can to get back to a semblance of normalcy.
  9. What was that all about?
  10. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.
  11. How did that happen?

Being a victim of a robbery

In-negative / Confusion
6 of 402

In-positive / Realizing url

Finding out 'who did it' at the end of a mystery novel

  1. I could see it right from the beginning.
  2. I suspected as much.
  3. It finally dawned on me.
  4. That explains everything!
  5. That’s it, in a nutshell.
  6. It was the missing link.
  7. Just put two and two together, and it all makes sense.
  8. I saw it coming, because though it didn’t seem so at first, in retrospect it was a dead give away.
  9. It will do it to you every time.
  10. It was on the tip of my tongue all along.
  11. That never would have occurred to me.
  12. I don’t know why that didn’t occur to me.

Finding out 'who did it' at the end of a mystery novel

In-positive / Realizing
7 of 402

In-positive / Remembering url

Hearing a song from the past

  1. That brings back old memories.
  2. That’s as old as the hills.
  3. I last heard that many moons ago.
  4. It’s a blast from the past.
  5. It brings back good memories.
  6. It’s just like old times.
  7. Let’s have a walk down memory lane.

Hearing a song from the past

In-positive / Remembering
8 of 402

In-neutral / Acceptance url

Not getting into the college that’s the first choice

  1. Now that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
  2. I think I’m just have to start getting used to it.
  3. That’s all there is to it.
  4. Let’s make the most of it.
  5. It’s just as well.
  6. You’ve got to take the good with the bad.

Not getting into the college that’s the first choice

In-neutral / Acceptance
9 of 402

Out-neutral / Advice url

Caution-3

  1. We’ve got to lay low for a while until the whole things blows over.
  2. Play your cards close to your vest.
  3. It’ll come back to haunt you.
  4. My advice is to keep your eye on it.
  5. You might regret it for the rest of your life.
  6. You’re fighting a loosing battle.
  7. Take everything they say with a grain of salt.
  8. Your life may depend on it.
  9. I have a feeling that you might be starting off on the wrong foot.
  10. Handle it with kid gloves.
  11. The bigger they are the harder they fall.
  12. You really have to watch out for things like that.
  13. Steer clear of it.
  14. You’re skating on thin ice.
  15. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.
  16. The odds are against you.
  17. There are no guarantees.
  18. It will get you when you least expect it.
  19. He’s not playing with a full deck.
  20. That defeats the whole purpose.
  21. It's unpredictable, and it’s a close call, going down to the wire, and we might not have a clear indication of where it's heading until the last minute - and then it might be too late to change course to salvage the situation.

Caution-3

Out-neutral / Advice
10 of 402

Out-positive / Encouragement url

For a fellow worker who is hesitant to present a new idea to the boss

  1. There’s nothing to be afraid of.
  2. You have nothing to worry about.
  3. Don’t sell yourself short.
  4. What’s holding you back?
  5. What could go wrong?
  6. Your fears are your worst enemy.
  7. I'm sure they're going to appreciate your trying.
  8. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
  9. At the very worst, they won't use your idea, but it’s certainly not going to hurt anything.
  10. What's the downside?
  11. Grab the brass ring.
  12. Maybe they’ll take you up on it.
  13. What’s the worst case scenario?
  14. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
  15. No pain, no gain.
  16. Speak up and make yourself heard.
  17. You don’t have to sell yourself to me, screw up your courage and say what you have to say to the powers that be.
  18. Just remind yourself that speaking up is not a bad choice, mind you.
  19. Don’t worry, they’ll understand.
  20. They’re on the up and up, and they’re not going to pull any punches.
  21. You need to stand up for yourself.
  22. I think you should jump at the opportunity.
  23. It never hurts to ask.

For a fellow worker who is hesitant to present a new idea to the boss

Out-positive / Encouragement
11 of 402

In-positive / Surprise url

Learning that a friend is ill

  1. His illness came out of the blue.
  2. He’s never been sick a day in his life.
  3. I don’t know what to say.
  4. I didn’t expect that.
  5. It’s beyond comprehension.
  6. What brought this on?
  7. I still can’t believe it’s true.
  8. I’m in a state of denial.
  9. It came as a great shock.
  10. I found the news earth shattering.

Learning that a friend is ill

In-positive / Surprise
12 of 402

Out-positive / Agreement url

Can you write a letter of recommendation for me?

  1. Just say the word.
  2. I’ll do whatever I can do to be helpful.
  3. I’ll try to put in a good word for you.
  4. If you want it, you’ve got it.
  5. Anything you say.
  6. Sounds good.
  7. Yes, by all means.

Can you write a letter of recommendation for me?

Out-positive / Agreement