Out-positive / Encouragement url
For a friend who’s tied in a final set of a tennis match
- That’s the spirit.
- You’ve got it in the palm of your hand.
- You’ve got what it takes.
- You’ve got to come through, we’re all depending on you.
- We’re all rooting for you.
- Take the bull by the horns.
- You can do it.
- The ball is in your court.
- Give it your best shot.
- Give it the old college try.
- We’re all counting on you.
- It’s all up to you.
- Get a move on it, and strike the iron while it’s hot.
- It’s shaping up to be a moment of truth.
- This is your big chance, don’t blow it.
For a friend who’s tied in a final set of a tennis match
In-negative / Disappointment url
Losing money in a scam
- I had a sneaking suspicion that it was too good to be true.
- What is the world coming to?
- I wasn’t thinking straight.
- I’ll be the first to admit, what I did wasn’t too bright.
- Is nothing sacred?
- There’s something rotten in the state of Denmark.
- It stinks to high heaven.
- I should be ashamed of myself.
- I’m old enough to know better.
- It killed my appetite.
- How did I get into this mess?
- That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
- I feel used, betrayed, and double-crossed.
- Boy, now I’m really in a pickle.
- They really took me to the cleaners.
- I’m down in the dumps.
- It's taken the wind out of my sails.
Losing money in a scam
Out-positive / Agreement url
Do you think we’d be healthier if we used the staircase instead of the elevator?
- You couldn’t be more right.
- Of course!
- I bet you’re right.
- It’s worth a try.
- I’m all in.
- I’ll go along with that.
- Now that's a great idea!
- That stands to reason.
- That makes so much more sense.
- You have a good point.
Do you think we’d be healthier if we used the staircase instead of the elevator?
In-negative / Disappointment url
Entrepreneur folding company
- It doesn’t seem to be getting off the ground.
- This is the end of the line.
- I’m washing my hands of the whole thing.
- It’s going to be rough, but it’s better than the alternative.
- We spent all that money and effort on our plans, and look where it got us – nowhere.
- I’m not exactly overjoyed.
- It wasn’t for a lack of effort.
- I think I can speak for all of us that I’m just sick about what happened.
- Frankly, perhaps I’m just chicken to go see what happens if we continue It would be throwing good money after bad.
- We put our best into it, but it seems that it just wasn’t enough.
- Sometimes one just has to call it quits.
- It turned out that it was little, too late.
Entrepreneur folding company
Out-positive / Agreement url
I think they should play more classical music on the local radio station
- That would be a step in the right direction.
- That seems like a reasonable idea.
- That’s exactly in line with my thinking.
- That’s a great idea.
- You took the words right out of my mouth.
- I think they should give it a try.
- I’d like that.
I think they should play more classical music on the local radio station
Out-neutral / Negotiating url
We don’t agree
- Let’s call the whole thing off.
- We don’t see things eye to eye.
- Let’s just drop the whole thing.
- This is not going anywhere.
- It takes two to tangle.
- We don’t seem to be getting anywhere.
- My patience has worn thin.
- Just you wait and see.
- We’re just wasting our time.
- This is an exercise in futility.
- I’m not going to waste any more time talking to you about this.
- We come from two completely different worlds.
- I’ll pass on the offer, and take a rain check.
- I’m not sure if we’re seeing eye to eye about this.
- We’re talking at cross purposes.
- This is highway robbery!
We don’t agree
In-negative / Explaining url
After investing in worthless land
- I fell for it hook, line and sinker.
- I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
- I should have known.
- It seemed like the right to do thing at the time.
- It took me totally by surprise.
- I was talked into it.
- The thought that this would be such a bad decision never crossed my mind.
- There’s not a whole lot I can do about it at this point.
- That never would have dawned on me.
- I didn’t see it coming.
- In theory that was how it was supposed to play out, but in actuality that’s not what happened.
- How was I supposed to know that?
- It beats me how that could have happened.
- It was an honest mistake.
- It could happen to anyone.
- I’m sorry that things didn’t work out the way I expected them to.
- I found out the hard way.
- The thought never even crossed my mind.
- That was something I wasn’t even aware of.
- Frankly, it’s just not something I could have anticipated.
- That’s something I just didn’t count on.
- They really took me to the cleaners.
- I must admit, from the beginning the whole thing wasn’t clear to me, and went way over my head.
- I was a sitting duck.
- I was being penny wise and pound foolish.
After investing in worthless land
Out-positive / Encouragement url
For a friend who’s hesitant about eating an exotic food for the first time
- What are you waiting for?
- Try it, you’ll like it.
- Don’t worry about a thing.
- Put yourself at ease.
- There’s nothing to worry about.
- I assure you whole-heartedly that you won’t regret it.
- You’ll see soon enough that your fears are unfounded.
- It all goes into the same stomach.
- Forewarned is forearmed.
For a friend who’s hesitant about eating an exotic food for the first time
Out-neutral / Advice url
Caution-2
- Leave it well enough alone.
- You’ll regret it in the morning.
- Let sleeping dogs lie.
- Don’t stir up a hornets nest.
- It’s going to backfire on you.
- Don’t rock the boat.
- Your actions might actually make it harder for you to accomplish what you want.
- Those are famous last words.
- Take it one step at a time.
- Sink your teeth into it, and take your time to appreciate the pros and cons of the new situation before you call it a day.
- Hold that thought.
- You lucked out on that one, but next time you may not be as lucky.
- Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
- It’s always good to ask.
- It's spreading like wild fire.
- Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
- Don’t jump the gun.
- Don’t even think about it.
- You’re leaving yourself wide open.
- I understand how much you want it, but it costs an arm and a leg, and it’s just not worth it.
- Easy does it.
Caution-2
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
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 / Determination url
Person who is depressed
- I decided on the spot, once and for all, that I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.
- I woke up and said, there’s no time like the present.
- I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet.
- I’m determined to resist the temptation.
- This is the first day of the rest of my life.
- I overcame the difficulties confronting me.
- I’ve made my mind up.
- I made a clean break.
- Everything takes time.
- Now I’m more determined than ever!
- There’s always a first time.
- I'm 100% focused on making sure I get myself out of this crazy situation.
Person who is depressed