Total Phrases- 4513
1 of 402

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

2 of 402

In-negative / Disappointment url

Dropping out of Law School

  1. I didn’t accomplish as much as I thought I would.
  2. So far I haven’t seen much progress.
  3. I’m batting zero.
  4. It’s nobody’s fault but my own.
  5. It’s not going anywhere, so why continue?
  6. I’m dropping out before it gets any worse.
  7. With my track record, I don’t think I have much of a choice.
  8. I’m a bit disappointed in my performance.
  9. I fully expected that I could have done better than I did.
  10. I just wasn’t good enough.
  11. It was just beyond my reach.
  12. It’s been an unmitigated disaster.

Dropping out of Law School

3 of 402

Out-positive / Encouragement url

To a student who just solved a difficult math problem

  1. That’s a brilliant deduction.
  2. You’re as smart as a whip.
  3. You’re really catching on.
  4. That’s a step in the right direction.
  5. You’ve got that down pat.
  6. Nobody can do it better.
  7. You should be proud of yourself.
  8. You’re a pretty smart cookie.
  9. I’ll be happy/glad to write a letter of recommendation for you.

To a student who just solved a difficult math problem

4 of 402

Out-positive / Apology url

After a boss tells a worker that management won’t let him give the worker an expected raise

  1. I only wish I could have done more.
  2. I did the best I could.
  3. I’m sorry, my hands are tied.
  4. It might not make any sense to you, but that’s what they decided, and I hope you understand.
  5. I’m sorry that it’s not the answer you hoped for.
  6. My apologies that it took me longer to get the answer than I thought it would.
  7. I hope that we’ll be able to give you a better answer next time.
  8. I’m hoping this is something you can live with for the time being.
  9. I was told to explain to you that it’s due to circumstances beyond their control.
  10. Please give us a chance to make it up to you next time.

After a boss tells a worker that management won’t let him give the worker an expected raise

5 of 402

Out-positive / Thanks url

After your boss tells you he convinced management to give you a nice raise

  1. I owe you a debt of gratitude Thank you for your time and effort, and of course the result.
  2. My gratitude knows no bounds.
  3. You helped me out of a tight financial squeeze.
  4. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done.
  5. Thanks for the vote of confidence.
  6. Thanks a bunch.
  7. Thanks for letting me know as soon as you found out.
  8. You don’t know how good that makes me feel to hear you say that.
  9. That’s great.

After your boss tells you he convinced management to give you a nice raise

6 of 402

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

7 of 402

In-positive / Hope url

When your candidate is elected

  1. Maybe there’s hope for us yet.
  2. It could turn things around.
  3. Things are looking up.
  4. It’s the wave of the future.
  5. That’s a good sign.
  6. I hope to heaven that what you’re telling me is true.
  7. It took a long time to happen, but it was worth waiting for.
  8. At times we didn’t think it would be successful, but now it might be a dream come true.
  9. The best is yet to come.

When your candidate is elected

8 of 402

Out-positive / Concern url

Visiting a friend who is recovering from an operation

  1. I hope you’re feeling better.
  2. Can I get you something?
  3. You look a little better than before.
  4. Now, that wasn’t so painful, was it?
  5. I’m glad to see that you’re up and about.
  6. How are you doing?
  7. I was sick with worry.
  8. Would you like something?
  9. Put your mind at ease.
  10. I was worried sick about it.
  11. Coming to visit was the least I could do.
  12. Thank goodness the body has a way of healing itself.
  13. If there’s anything I can do to help, don’t hesitate to ask.
  14. You have my blessings.
  15. Is everything OK?

Visiting a friend who is recovering from an operation

9 of 402

In-negative / Doubt url

When a friend says he’s going to climb Mt. Everest

  1. Fat chance!
  2. You’re putting me on.
  3. You can’t be serious.
  4. Are you kidding me?
  5. Now I’ve heard everything.
  6. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?
  7. It’s a nice idea, but are you sure you’re up to it.
  8. Are you sure you’ve got what it takes?

When a friend says he’s going to climb Mt. Everest

10 of 402

Out-negative / Annoyed url

You are hurting me

  1. You used me.
  2. You’re treating me like I’m low man on the totem pole.
  3. You’re causing me great pain.
  4. I don’t like to be played for a sucker.
  5. You make my life miserable.
  6. You’re a thorn in my side.
  7. Don’t give me the cold shoulder.
  8. This is beginning to wear on me.
  9. You make me feel like two cents.
  10. Don’t brush me off.
  11. Don’t patronize me.
  12. Don’t push your luck.
  13. You’re such a pain in the neck.
  14. That hit me below the belt.
  15. What am I, chopped liver?
  16. Stop nickel and diming me.
  17. That’s what really burns me up.

You are hurting me

11 of 402

In-negative / Confusion url

To someone explaining calculus

  1. I haven’t the foggiest/slightest/vaguest idea of what you’re talking about.
  2. I can’t make heads or tails of it.
  3. I don’t understand.
  4. Whatever do you mean?
  5. You’ve got me stumped.
  6. I don’t know what to make of it.
  7. It doesn’t make any sense.
  8. How could that possibly be?
  9. It’s Greek to me.

To someone explaining calculus

12 of 402

In-positive / Confidence url

Suggesting a new sales strategy at work

  1. You bet your bottom dollar.
  2. I’m going to hit it out of the ballpark.
  3. I know what’s at stake.
  4. You can count on it.
  5. The sky’s the limit.
  6. There’s plenty more where that came from.
  7. It’s working like a charm.
  8. There’s no question about it.
  9. It’s going to knock your socks off.
  10. Take it from me.
  11. With any luck at all we’ll be able to get to the next level.
  12. I’m going to knock it out of the park.
  13. When you look at my plan you'll see that it all adds up.
  14. I knew it right off the bat.
  15. I’m firing on all cylinders.
  16. Things are really starting to click.

Suggesting a new sales strategy at work