In-negative / Confusion url
Waking up after a deep sleep.
- I fell into a deep sleep, and when I woke up I was so disoriented that for a short while I couldn’t remember where I was.
- My mind is going in ten different directions.
- I don’t know what to make of it.
- What time is it?
- How did I get here?
- I could use a breath of fresh air.
- What’s going on here?
- I don’t have the bandwidth to deal with it right now.
- I don’t feel like myself.
- I’m so tired, I can hardly see straight.
Waking up after a deep sleep.
In-negative / Doubt url
When a friend says he’s going to climb Mt. Everest
- Fat chance!
- You’re putting me on.
- You can’t be serious.
- Are you kidding me?
- Now I’ve heard everything.
- Are you sure you know what you’re doing?
- It’s a nice idea, but are you sure you’re up to it.
- Are you sure you’ve got what it takes?
When a friend says he’s going to climb Mt. Everest
Out-positive / Agreement url
Do you agree that people should leave their phones at the desk when eating in a restaurant?
- I think that would improve the situation.
- I think they should give it a try.
- My personal experience bears you out.
- You're right on point.
- I think you’re onto something.
- That goes without saying.
- That’s a good point.
Do you agree that people should leave their phones at the desk when eating in a restaurant?
In-positive / Confidence url
Looking for something
- Something will turn up.
- We’re on the right track.
- It was exactly where I thought it would be.
- Something’s going to turn up.
- If we’re patient and methodical, I’m sure this will have a happy ending.
Looking for something
Out-neutral / Advice url
Prepare
- You’ve got to plan for emergencies.
- Once the cat is out of the bag, anything can happen.
- You have to get ready for the possibility that afterwards your feelings may change.
- An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
- Expect the unexpected.
- Be prepared for the worst.
- Did you take that into account?
Prepare
In-negative / Doubt url
Police questioning thief
- Your story doesn’t hold water.
- Can you please run that by me again?
- That’s hard to believe.
- You expect me to believe that?
- There’s something fishy about your story.
- You’re lying through his teeth.
- What you’re tell me just doesn’t wash.
- Do you expect me to believe that cock and bull story?
- That’s nothing new.
- It’s too late for that.
- I think you’ve been up to no good.
- You can talk till you’re blue in the face, I just don’t buy it.
Police questioning thief
Out-positive / Agreement url
If they closed 3rd Street to traffic the stores on that block would do more business.
- I think you’re onto something.
- I guess you’re right.
- That’s certainly an idea that’s worth trying.
- That sounds like a good idea to me.
- That make’s sense.
- I think they should give it a shot.
- Likewise!
If they closed 3rd Street to traffic the stores on that block would do more business.
In-neutral / Caution url
Investing a lot of money in a startup
- I think there’s danger lurking ahead.
- Something about the whole situation smells.
- I’m going to proceed with caution with all deliberate speed.
- I’m going to get to the bottom of it.
- It’s too early to tell.
- The stakes are high.
- I’m going to try to be patient.
- Everything’s up in the air.
- Is the potential reward worth the risk?
- It might be too good to be true.
- It might be like reaching for the moon.
- It might take a while before the truth comes out.
- I can’t have it both ways.
- I shouldn’t count my chickens before they’re hatched.
- I might be making a big mistake.
- Don’t get too comfortable, because the situation is fluid and unpredictable, and could change at any moment.
- Let's give it time, and see how it plays out, because there could be a considerable upside potential.
Investing a lot of money in a startup
Out-positive / Encouragement url
To a child who finished their homework
- Now that didn’t take so long, did it?
- Good for you.
- That sounds just great.
- Perfect!
- That was a very admirable thing to do.
- Awesome!
- Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?
- Aren’t you glad that’s over with?
- Don’t you admit that it looked like it was going to be much harder than it turned out to be?
- See what you are capable of doing when you put your mind to it?
- That's my girl!
To a child who finished their homework
Out-positive / Agreement url
Would you like to go for a walk in the park?
- I’m ready whenever you are.
- That sounds like a great idea.
- Sounds good to me.
- Now is as good a time as any.
- There’s nothing I’d like better.
- Yes indeed.
- All righty!
- Now is as good a time as any.
- I’m ready, willing, and able.
Would you like to go for a walk in the park?
Out-positive / Encouragement url
For a friend who just published his first book
- That’s a positive start.
- What a great accomplishment!
- You’re on a roll.
- More power to you.
- Sock it to me.
- Your off and running.
- I’m glad that it worked out.
- You do what you do very well.
- You did much more than you realize.
- That’s a step in the right direction.
- You’re doing a great job.
- It turns out that you accomplished more than you even realized.
For a friend who just published his first book
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