In-negative / Doubt url
To friend who claims he knows how to win the lottery
- The chances of that happening are pretty close to zero.
- How do you figure that?
- You don’t say?
- Don’t count on it.
- You can’t mean that.
- It doesn’t work that way.
- That’s what they all say.
- How can you be so cock-sure of yourself?
- It’s all in your head.
- It’s not very likely to happen that way.
- It’s about time you started being realistic.
- Wake up and smell the coffee.
To friend who claims he knows how to win the lottery
Out-negative / Anger url
Stay away from me
- Mind your own business.
- Don’t butt in.
- Will you lay off?
- Don’t start with me.
- Stay out of it and mind your own business.
- I don’t want your two cents worth.
- Keep your hands to yourself.
- Leave me alone.
- It is no business of yours.
- Stop bugging me.
Stay away from me
Out-positive / Encouragement url
To a High School student who won the science fair
- You’re a real expert.
- That needed out of the box thinking, and you rose to the occasion.
- You should be proud of the fact that you did it all by yourself, with almost no help from anyone else.
- You just scratched the surface of what you can accomplish.
- I guess you’re curious about what makes things tick.
- It’s right up your alley.
To a High School student who won the science fair
Out-neutral / Advice url
Be Resourceful
- Try to find a clever solution that would be like killing two birds with one stone.
- Here's an idea that you might find useful.
- Fight fire with fire.
- You should have thought of that before, but now you'll have to make up for lost time.
- Hold onto it, because you never know when it will come in handy.
- Drink some coffee, or take a quick nap, and that might perk you up.
- If you put your thinking cap on, maybe you’ll come up with a creative solution.
- Rise to the occasion.
- Put your thinking cap on.
- Try to come up with an 'out-of-the-box' solution.
- I came up with idea from out of the blue.
- I think that a solution to this problem might require a paradigm shift, a whole new way of looking at the situation.
- Ahah!
Be Resourceful
In-negative / Confusion url
Being a victim of a robbery
- I haven’t the faintest idea what happened.
- OK, now what do I do?
- I don’t know what to say.
- It’s hard to believe.
- I feel totally disoriented.
- I'm shell-shocked.
- What happened is weird, and can’t be explained so easily.
- This really messed up my schedule, but I’ll do what I can to get back to a semblance of normalcy.
- What was that all about?
- Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.
- How did that happen?
Being a victim of a robbery
In-positive / Realizing url
Finding out 'who did it' at the end of a mystery novel
- I could see it right from the beginning.
- I suspected as much.
- It finally dawned on me.
- That explains everything!
- That’s it, in a nutshell.
- It was the missing link.
- Just put two and two together, and it all makes sense.
- I saw it coming, because though it didn’t seem so at first, in retrospect it was a dead give away.
- It will do it to you every time.
- It was on the tip of my tongue all along.
- That never would have occurred to me.
- 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 / Remembering url
Hearing a song from the past
- That brings back old memories.
- That’s as old as the hills.
- I last heard that many moons ago.
- It’s a blast from the past.
- It brings back good memories.
- It’s just like old times.
- Let’s have a walk down memory lane.
Hearing a song from the past
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Not getting into the college that’s the first choice
- Now that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
- I think I’m just have to start getting used to it.
- That’s all there is to it.
- Let’s make the most of it.
- It’s just as well.
- You’ve got to take the good with the bad.
Not getting into the college that’s the first choice
Out-neutral / Advice url
Caution-3
- We’ve got to lay low for a while until the whole things blows over.
- Play your cards close to your vest.
- It’ll come back to haunt you.
- My advice is to keep your eye on it.
- You might regret it for the rest of your life.
- You’re fighting a loosing battle.
- Take everything they say with a grain of salt.
- Your life may depend on it.
- I have a feeling that you might be starting off on the wrong foot.
- Handle it with kid gloves.
- The bigger they are the harder they fall.
- You really have to watch out for things like that.
- Steer clear of it.
- You’re skating on thin ice.
- Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.
- The odds are against you.
- There are no guarantees.
- It will get you when you least expect it.
- He’s not playing with a full deck.
- That defeats the whole purpose.
- 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-positive / Encouragement url
For a fellow worker who is hesitant to present a new idea to the boss
- There’s nothing to be afraid of.
- You have nothing to worry about.
- Don’t sell yourself short.
- What’s holding you back?
- What could go wrong?
- Your fears are your worst enemy.
- I'm sure they're going to appreciate your trying.
- You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
- At the very worst, they won't use your idea, but it’s certainly not going to hurt anything.
- What's the downside?
- Grab the brass ring.
- Maybe they’ll take you up on it.
- What’s the worst case scenario?
- Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
- No pain, no gain.
- Speak up and make yourself heard.
- 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.
- Just remind yourself that speaking up is not a bad choice, mind you.
- Don’t worry, they’ll understand.
- They’re on the up and up, and they’re not going to pull any punches.
- You need to stand up for yourself.
- I think you should jump at the opportunity.
- It never hurts to ask.
For a fellow worker who is hesitant to present a new idea to the boss
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 / Agreement url
Can you write a letter of recommendation for me?
- Just say the word.
- I’ll do whatever I can do to be helpful.
- I’ll try to put in a good word for you.
- If you want it, you’ve got it.
- Anything you say.
- Sounds good.
- Yes, by all means.
Can you write a letter of recommendation for me?