Total Phrases- 804

Scenes of In-negative

1 of 63

In-negative / Explaining url

After investing in worthless land

  1. I fell for it hook, line and sinker.
  2. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
  3. I should have known.
  4. It seemed like the right to do thing at the time.
  5. It took me totally by surprise.
  6. I was talked into it.
  7. The thought that this would be such a bad decision never crossed my mind.
  8. There’s not a whole lot I can do about it at this point.
  9. That never would have dawned on me.
  10. I didn’t see it coming.
  11. In theory that was how it was supposed to play out, but in actuality that’s not what happened.
  12. How was I supposed to know that?
  13. It beats me how that could have happened.
  14. It was an honest mistake.
  15. It could happen to anyone.
  16. I’m sorry that things didn’t work out the way I expected them to.
  17. I found out the hard way.
  18. The thought never even crossed my mind.
  19. That was something I wasn’t even aware of.
  20. Frankly, it’s just not something I could have anticipated.
  21. That’s something I just didn’t count on.
  22. They really took me to the cleaners.
  23. I must admit, from the beginning the whole thing wasn’t clear to me, and went way over my head.
  24. I was a sitting duck.
  25. I was being penny wise and pound foolish.

After investing in worthless land

In-negative / Explaining
2 of 63

In-negative / Disappointment url

Getting a speeding ticket

  1. I have no one to blame but myself.
  2. I need that like a hole in the head.
  3. That’s what I was afraid of.
  4. That’s the last thing I wanted.
  5. What a shame!
  6. That’s just my luck.
  7. It happens to the best of us.
  8. But I don’t have to like it, do I?

Getting a speeding ticket

In-negative / Disappointment
3 of 63

In-negative / Explaining url

Throwing out a bag of laundry by mistake

  1. How was I supposed to know?
  2. What did I do this time?
  3. That never would have occurred to me.
  4. I wish I had known.
  5. I had no way of knowing.
  6. OK, I’m not perfect.
  7. I apologize profusely.
  8. It was totally unintentional.
  9. There’s nothing I can do about it now.
  10. My humble apologies.
  11. Sorry about that.
  12. If I knew what I was doing, I certainly wouldn’t have done it.
  13. I certainly didn’t do it on purpose.
  14. They looked so similar that I had no way of knowing.
  15. It came as a surprise to me.
  16. I’m awfully sorry.
  17. How was I supposed to know that?

Throwing out a bag of laundry by mistake

In-negative / Explaining
4 of 63

In-negative / Doubt url

Neighbors of the Wright Brothers

  1. I’ll believe it when I see it.
  2. Are you really sure?
  3. Personally, I don’t think you stand a chance.
  4. The odds are stacked against you.
  5. I don’t think anything will ever come of it.
  6. Are your out of your mind?
  7. Are you serious?
  8. Are you crazy?
  9. You must be drunk.
  10. Are you kidding?

Neighbors of the Wright Brothers

In-negative / Doubt
5 of 63

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 63

In-negative / Explaining url

After shoving a neighbor in a fight

  1. It was just a misunderstanding.
  2. I can’t explain it.
  3. I admit it, I cracked under pressure.
  4. I would like to try to set things straight.
  5. It’s all my fault.
  6. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
  7. There’s a first time for everything.
  8. I acted on impulse.
  9. What can I say?
  10. I was taken off guard.
  11. Don’t get the wrong impression.
  12. Things just got out of hand.
  13. My pride got in the way.
  14. I hope I didn’t come on too strong.
  15. My emotions got the better of me.
  16. I really didn’t intend for things to turn out the way they did.

After shoving a neighbor in a fight

In-negative / Explaining
7 of 63

In-negative / Confusion url

Trying to remember why you made a certain decision last year

  1. I can’t explain it.
  2. I’m not so sure.
  3. I don’t know what to say about it.
  4. I’m not sure exactly.
  5. I haven’t the slightest idea.
  6. I can’t put my finger on it.
  7. I don’t have a clue.
  8. I don’t remember off the top of my head.
  9. Your guess is a good as mine.
  10. That’s the thing I don’t understand.
  11. How can I be sure?

Trying to remember why you made a certain decision last year

In-negative / Confusion
8 of 63

In-negative / Explaining url

Coming home drunk

  1. I couldn’t help myself.
  2. I guess things got to me.
  3. I did it on the spur of the moment.
  4. My head is spinning.
  5. I’m about to drop.
  6. Unfortunately it’s become my security blanket.
  7. It’s been a rough night.
  8. I feel like a worn out dish rag.
  9. With a little bit of luck things will soon get back to normal.
  10. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
  11. I could use some moral support.
  12. I hate to admit it, but it was beyond my control.
  13. I’ve never had any problems in that area before.
  14. There’s a first time for everything.
  15. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
  16. I'm going through a rough time.

Coming home drunk

In-negative / Explaining
9 of 63

In-negative / Doubt url

To someone who claims that a swamp is great real estate

  1. That’s going too far.
  2. That’s not very likely.
  3. Don’t make me laugh.
  4. You’ve got to be kidding.
  5. Do you really believe that?
  6. I rather doubt it.
  7. I don’t believe it for one minute.
  8. Do you expect me to believe that crap?
  9. That doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of being successful.
  10. That’s a hare brained idea.
  11. It’s the same old run-around.
  12. I don’t buy it.
  13. It sounds kind of fishy.
  14. He’s stretching the truth.
  15. I wouldn’t put it past you.
  16. Do you expect me to believe that?
  17. I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you.

To someone who claims that a swamp is great real estate

In-negative / Doubt
10 of 63

In-negative / Disappointment url

Couple discussing ending a relationship

  1. Talk is cheap.
  2. We’re drifting farther and farther apart.
  3. We didn’t hit it off too well.
  4. I sense that there’s no room in your life for me.
  5. There’s no point in continuing.
  6. I’m just not in the mood for putting any more work in it.
  7. I just don’t see it going anywhere.
  8. I saw the handwriting on the wall.
  9. I don’t feel that we’re on the same wavelength.
  10. I think this is what’s better for both of us in the long run.
  11. This time I really put my foot in my mouth.
  12. I think we’ve hit a brick wall.
  13. You broke my heart.
  14. I feel that it’s all an exercise in futility.
  15. Where has all the time gone?
  16. I realize now that I’ve been barking up the wrong tree.
  17. It’s outlived its usefulness.
  18. Ain’t that a crying shame?

Couple discussing ending a relationship

In-negative / Disappointment
11 of 63

In-negative / Explaining url

Refusing to lie on a tax return to save money

  1. What did you expect me to do?
  2. That’s not my style.
  3. Why should I take the risk?
  4. I do what I have to do.
  5. I’m doing it just to be on the safe side.
  6. It’s taking all my will power to resist.
  7. I was holding on by a thread.
  8. I think it's the best thing to do.
  9. My hands are tied.
  10. It’s out of my hands.
  11. I’m conflicted about it.
  12. I shudder when I think of the downside of doing this.
  13. I’d rather play it safe.
  14. It's the right thing to do.
  15. I just can’t take the chance.
  16. The risks far outweigh the benefits.
  17. The way I look at it, I really don’t have much of a choice.
  18. I can’t see myself doing that.

Refusing to lie on a tax return to save money

In-negative / Explaining
12 of 63

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