In-negative / Explaining url
Not doing work assignment on time
- I bit off more than I could chew.
- I didn’t accomplish as much as I thought I would.
- I took my best shot.
- That’s the best that I can do.
- It took me longer than I thought it would.
- I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately.
- I was sure I could do more in the time that I had.
- The whole thing blew up in my face.
- I promise to do better next time.
- I don’t know how to answer your question.
- It totally slipped my mind.
- I knew there was something I forgot to do.
- I have no excuse.
Not doing work assignment on time
In-negative / Confusion url
Lost in an unfamiliar city
- This is driving me batty.
- What can I do?
- I don’t know what else to do.
- Where do we go from here?
- I don’t know, what do you want to do?
- I can’t figure it out.
- I’m going to need a while to get my bearings.
- I feel like a fish out of water.
- It’s driving me nuts.
Lost in an unfamiliar city
In-positive / Determination url
Someone offered a bribe
- I’ll never do it, no matter what you say.
- Not if I can help it.
- It will never happen again.
- I’m going to put my foot down once and for all.
- I’ve made up my mind that - once and for all - I’m going to put a stop to this.
- I’m not going to let that happen.
- We’ll put a stop to that.
- I won’t hear of it.
- I won’t budge an inch.
Someone offered a bribe
In-negative / Doubt url
To chemist who blew up the lab
- You’re supposed to know these things.
- What have you done?
- How could you do that?
- I can’t believe it.
- You certainly have had a streak of bad luck.
- I didn’t think that was going to happen.
- What were you trying to do?
- Well what did you expect?
- Is that the best you can do?
- Maybe you should choose a different line of work.
- I don’t think anyone expected this result.
- The less said about it the better.
- What have you gotten yourself into?
To chemist who blew up the lab
Out-negative / Anger url
I am angry at you
- I’ve had it up to here.
- What is this crap?
- I’m fed up to here.
- You’re making me see red.
- You make my blood boil.
- I’m fit to be tied.
- You’ve got some nerve.
- I feel like I’ve got steam coming out of my ears.
- What do you think, that I’m a complete idiot?
I am angry at you
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
Out-neutral / Negotiating url
This is my viewpoint
- I hope I’m making it crystal clear.
- That just what I said.
- I rest my case.
- I made my point.
- I’ll get right to the point.
- You know where I stand.
- I meant what I said.
- For whatever it’s worth, here are my 2 cents.
- I really mean it.
- It’s all here in black and white.
- That’s my point exactly.
- Let’s set the record straight.
- If you get my drift.
- I’m well aware of that.
- There’s something you ought to know.
- Of course that’s what I meant.
- You can talk till you’re blue in the face, you still won’t convince me.
- I hate to be blunt.
- There’s no, ifs ands or buts about it.
- I’ll be honest with you.
- Take it or leave it.
- What you see is what you get.
- If you want a deal, you’re going to have to up the ante.
- I’m going to cut to the chase.
- It doesn’t make sense to do it any other way.
- I wanted to run this idea by you.
This is my viewpoint
In-positive / Confidence url
After winning an election
- I must be doing something right.
- I know the ropes.
- That’s progress.
- They are behind us 100 percent.
- I deserve it.
- I like to keep tabs on things.
- And away we go.
- Everything’s coming up roses.
- Nothing succeeds like success.
- Fasten your seatbelts, because from this point on, I predict things are really going to start happening.
- I pulled victory out of the jaws of defeat.
- I’m looking forward to serving in my new position, and making a positive contribution.
- I knew I would win, hands down.
After winning an election
In-positive / Realizing url
The day after a stock market crash
- I may not understand all the details, but I get the general idea and see the big picture.
- I could see it coming a mile away.
- It stands to reason.
- By process of elimination it’s the only answer that makes sense.
- So there you have it.
- I had a hunch we were getting very close to the end.
- We’ve been all through this before, and it’s deja-vu all over again.
- By the time it dawned on us, it was too late.
- It looks like we’re going to have to start from scratch.
- These things just sneak up on you.
- I see this as a wakeup call.
- This really taught me a lesson that I won’t quickly forget.
- I'm going to have to re-examine and think through all of my assumptions.
- It's very sobering.
- It happened when I least suspected it.
- I wonder why I didn't see that coming.
- I turned a blind eye to all the warning signals.
The day after a stock market crash
In-positive / Surprise url
A friend wins the race for mayor
- Now that takes the cake!
- Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.
- In all my years of experience I’ve never seen anything like it.
- Wasn’t that a real kick in the pants?
- Oh, my goodness.
- It left me speechless.
- Isn’t that a kick in the pants?
- How do you like them apples?
A friend wins the race for mayor
In-positive / Remembering url
Meeting a friend from childhood
- Those were the good old days.
- Just for old time’s sake.
- There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since we saw each other last.
- It’s been a long time.
- I feel just like I was a little kid again.
- We go back a long way.
- From time to time I remember the good old days, the way things used to be.
- Our friendship goes back for as long as I can remember.
- I remember you from way back when, and you haven’t changed a bit.
Meeting a friend from childhood
In-positive / Surprise url
A friend becomes president of the company
- Goodness gracious.
- Well what do you know?
- It’s too good to be true.
- For goodness sakes.
- For heaven’s sake.
- It took us all by surprise.
A friend becomes president of the company