Total Phrases- 221

Scenes of Explaining

1 of 14

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After getting too angry at the kids

  1. I lost control.
  2. This is what I have to deal with all the time.
  3. Things got the better of me.
  4. I’m a bit overwhelmed.
  5. I wasn’t myself.
  6. I was caught off-guard.
  7. It goes with the territory.
  8. I’ve been a little on edge.
  9. I meant well.
  10. I hope you understand.
  11. That’s easy for you to say, but put yourself in my shoes.
  12. I just got carried away.

After getting too angry at the kids

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2 of 14

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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

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3 of 14

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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

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4 of 14

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Apartment is a mess

  1. I can only do what I can do.
  2. I try not the pay attention to these things.
  3. What difference does it make anyway?
  4. There’s a method to the madness.
  5. I’m getting nowhere fast.
  6. I’m on a tight schedule, and it just doesn’t leave me time for these things.
  7. I’m strapped for time.
  8. You can understand, can’t you?
  9. In the large scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter, does it?
  10. I just have a different set of priorities than you do.
  11. I haven’t gotten around to it yet.
  12. Out of sight, out of mind.
  13. At least I know where everything is.

Apartment is a mess

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5 of 14

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Being late for work

  1. I’ve had one of those days.
  2. I lost all track of time.
  3. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
  4. It’s a long story.
  5. It’s just not my day.
  6. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends.
  7. It was just one thing after another.
  8. Before I knew it, more time had passed than I had anticipated.
  9. It’s the last thing in the world that I thought was going to happen.
  10. I have no excuse for myself.
  11. I just don't have any sense of time.

Being late for work

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6 of 14

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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

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7 of 14

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Coming late for an appointment

  1. I just plum forgot.
  2. It slipped my mind.
  3. Forgive me, I just didn’t remember.
  4. I didn’t do it on purpose.
  5. I hope you understand.
  6. Please don’t take it personally.
  7. I knew I forgot something.
  8. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends.
  9. I’ve been crazy busy lately.
  10. I have a lot on my plate.
  11. The time just slipped through my fingers.
  12. I just have no sense of time.

Coming late for an appointment

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8 of 14

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Feeling depressed

  1. Things have gotten completely out of control.
  2. I’m not feeling well now, but hopefully I’ll feel a lot better in the near future.
  3. I’ve been better.
  4. I have to figure it out for myself.
  5. You’re catching me at a bad time.
  6. I’m having a tough time.
  7. Recently I’ve been bouncing around like a yo-yo.
  8. I’ve had my ups and downs.
  9. I'm not myself.
  10. I have a lot on my mind.
  11. I never said it was going to be any different from the way it turned out.
  12. I never saw myself that way before.
  13. I feel like a bundle of nerves.
  14. I feel like a bump on a log.
  15. If you only knew what I’ve been through.
  16. I’ve been feeling under the weather.
  17. What I've been through has really knocked the stuffing out of me.
  18. Whenever I’m nervous, I tend to clam up.
  19. After a while, I just ran out of steam.

Feeling depressed

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9 of 14

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Hitting the neighbor's dog with a car

  1. It took me completely by surprise.
  2. It came out of the blue.
  3. It really threw me for a loop.
  4. I take full responsibility for it.
  5. The experience has shaken me to the core.
  6. I had to make a split second decision.
  7. I had to save my own skin.
  8. It scared me half to death.
  9. It really shook me up.
  10. It’s a very unusual occurrence.
  11. How do you think I feel?
  12. Do you think I did it on purpose?
  13. I don’t know what to say.
  14. When push comes to shove, it’s not something I could have prevented.
  15. It was a freak accident.
  16. It happened in a blink of an eye.
  17. It sent shivers up my spine.

Hitting the neighbor's dog with a car

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10 of 14

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Not doing work assignment on time

  1. I bit off more than I could chew.
  2. I didn’t accomplish as much as I thought I would.
  3. I took my best shot.
  4. That’s the best that I can do.
  5. It took me longer than I thought it would.
  6. I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately.
  7. I was sure I could do more in the time that I had.
  8. The whole thing blew up in my face.
  9. I promise to do better next time.
  10. I don’t know how to answer your question.
  11. It totally slipped my mind.
  12. I knew there was something I forgot to do.
  13. I have no excuse.

Not doing work assignment on time

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11 of 14

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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

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12 of 14

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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