Putnam's Phrase Book An Aid to Social Letter Writing and to Ready and Effective Conversation, with Over 100 Model Social Letters and 6000 of the World's Best English Phrases

Part 6

Chapter 63,740 wordsPublic domain

My principal motive for acting thus was——

I am fully aware that——

I perceive, moreover, that——

It is surely true that——

I marvel that——

I sometimes fancy that——

I humbly conceive that——

I apprehend that——

Of course, I am perfectly aware that——

I presume that——

There are pretty certain indications that

It often amazes me that——

It seems hardly probable that——

I affirm that——

I have the consolation to hope that——

It is still permitted us to hope that——

It would be futile to deny that——

It is reasonable to assume that——

There is no prospect that——

In these circumstances it——

I suppose that——

I warrant that——

I confess I am not indifferent to——

I shrink instinctively from——

I confess a less and less relish for——

I am impatient and querulous under——

It is a sort of presumption to expect that——

I cannot imagine to myself——

I have a kindly yearning toward——

I heartily approve of——

I do not advert to——

I have long believed that——

It has long been the fashion to——

I have been falsely assuring everybody that——

One cannot help noticing that——

There are plenty of evidences that——

The difference, I take it, is this——

The fact of the matter is——

If I rightly remember——

It is a just cause for praise that——

It was a happy circumstance for me that——

I wish with all my heart that——

I am grateful to find that——

I devoutly wish it may prove to be that he——

It is not to be supposed that——

My attention has been directed to the——

I have a mental reservation with regard to——

A very affecting circumstance happened yesterday

I have a story worth telling

I had the rare distinction of——

I had a very civil note from——

If I may hazard a conjecture, I should rather think that——

It was unusual for me to——

He seems to be obsessed with the idea that——

JOY

Gladness Bliss

The nameless responsive thrill of something deep within us

A treasure better than gold

Pleasures pure and lasting

Heaven’s eternal spring

The song lifting its pæan out of the night

In the sweetest fellowship

Strains that sweetly soothe

The exquisite little joys of life

An atmosphere of tranquillity

A new-found joy

Tears of joy and gratitude

Joy which flows like a river

In joyful anticipation

With joyful enthusiasm

Possibilities of which we hardly dreamed

The sweet melodies of heaven

The great glad tidings

The glory of his grace

The sweetest name on earth

The blissful refuge

A balm for the weary

The very friend you need

The priceless gems of God’s book

A joy divine

Songs of sweetest praise

A triumphant hope

Thrones of love

A heaven of love

The kingdom of light

The fullness of his blessing

The life-giving stream

The best of our delights

A world of happy memories

The reckless joy of the Lord

Our gladness of the world

The ultimate source of real happiness

An eternal weight of glory

JUSTICE

Judgment Indignation

He must be brought sharply to book

Brought to the bar of justice

Impartial justice

A noble contempt for deliberate wrong-doers

Fired by righteous indignation

The eternal principles of justice

The foe of tyranny

The well-established right of every citizen

Very intolerant of sin, but not vindictive

A life strictly legal

KEEN

Foxy Cunning

With a special axe to grind

He caught you napping

A piece of sharp practice

A shrewd surmise

A bit of keen reasoning

Too ingenious by half

Neutrals think to tread on eggs and break none

As cunning as a weasel

A mind like a steel-trap

Bait the hook well; the fish will bite. _Much Ado about Nothing_, II., 3

Reared in the school of diplomacy

A discipleship with mental reservations

He turns a blow with a jest

KINDNESS

Sympathy Gentleness

Sympathies as wide as the world

A sensibility as tender as it is refreshing

Wider sympathy

Of cosmopolitan sympathies

Poverty-stricken in his sympathies

World-wide sympathies

A great soul

The very heart of kindness

Diffusing the gospel of kindliness

The employments of active benevolence

Full of kindly deeds

The milk of human kindness

A stray word of kindness

Kinder than the kindest

With utmost gentleness

Of gentlest sympathy

Of a kind and forgiving disposition

They exchanged mutual assurances of continued good-will

The secret of contented and fruitful living

The staple interests and occupations of the common life

Heaven and earth brought into strange accord

An unembittered disposition

The sign of God-like charity

Slow to speak ill of any one

Beautiful in the eyes of fond affection

A heaven of love in your heart

A wonderfully kind heart

Members of a forgiving family

Sweet in disposition

Glorifying God in the common round

The gracious inclination of the will

The outcome of a rich experience

The spirit of brotherly kindness and concord

An attitude of brotherly helpfulness

A genuine concern for——

Many calls upon one’s generous impulses

A kindly soul

I could not find it in my heart to——

It pulls upon our heartstrings

Cherishing a cordial good-will to all men

I cannot find it in my heart to——

LATIN

_Ab extra_, from without

_Ab initio_, from the beginning

_Ad captandum vulgus_, for the sake of pleasing the crowd

_Ad infinitum_, endlessly

_Ad interim_, in the meanwhile

_Ad libitum_, at pleasure

_Ad nauseam_, to the point of disgust

_Ad rem_, to the matter in hand

_Ad valorem_, according to the value

_A fortiori_, all the more surely

_Alma mater_, fostering mother

_Alter idem_, another precisely similar

_Anno Domini_, in the year of our Lord

_A posteriori_, from facts back to principles

_A priori_, from principles to facts

_Argumentum ad hominem_, an appeal to interests rather than to reason

_Bona fide_, in good faith

_Cui bono_, who benefits by it

_De facto_, on the basis of facts

_De novo_, anew

_Deo gratias_, thanks to God

_Deo volente_, with God’s consent

_De profundis_, out of the depths

_Dramatis personæ_, the actors in a play

_Ecce homo_, behold the man

_E pluribus unum_, one composed of many

_Ergo_, therefore

_Esto perpetua_, let it endure forever

_Et cetera_, and so on

_Ex cathedra_, with high authority

_Ex officio_, by virtue of his office

_Ex parte_, partisan

_Ex post facto_, after the deed is done

_Ex tempore_, on the impulse of the moment

_Gloria in excelsis_, Glory in the highest

_Ibid_, in the same place

_Id est_, that is

_Idem_, the same

_Item_, also

_In articulo mortis_, at the point of death

_In extenso_, at full length

_In extremis_, in the last extremity

_In loco_, in the proper place

_In medias res_, in the midst of things

_In memoriam_, to the memory of

_In perpetuum_, forever

_In re_, in the matter of

_In statu quo_, in the former state

_In toto_, completely

_In transitu_, in passing

_Ipsissima verba_, the very words

_Ipso facto_, by virtue of that very fact

_Jubilate Deo_, rejoice in the Lord

_Jus gentium_, the law of nations

_Labor omnia vincit_, labor overcomes every difficulty

_Lapsus linguæ_, a slip of the tongue

_Lis pendens_, the pending suit

_Magnum opus_, a great work

_Mala fide_, in an underhanded way

_Meum et tuum_, mine and thine

_Mirabile dictu_, wonderful to be told

_Modus operandi_, manner of operation

_Multum in parvo_, much in little

_Ne plus ultra_, nothing better

_Nil desperandum_, no need to despair

_Nolens volens_, whether he will or not

_Non sequitur_, it does not follow

_Nota bene_, mark well

_Omnes_, all

_Paterfamilias_, the head of a household

_Pater noster_, Our Father

_Particeps criminis_, a sharer in the crime

_Peccavi_, I have erred

_Per annum_, by the year

_Per capita_, by the head

_Per centum_, by the hundred

_Per contra_, contrariwise

_Per diem_, by the day

_Per se_, intrinsically

_Pro bono publico_, for the public good

_Pro et con_, for and against

_Pro rata_, an equal division

_Pro tanto_, to a certain extent

_Pro tempore_, for the time being

_Quantum libet_, as much as you please

_Quid pro quo_, an equivalent

_Quod vide_, which see

_Requiescat in pace_, peace to his spirit

_Scripsit_, he wrote it

_Semper felix_, always fortunate

_Semper fidelis_, always faithful

_Semper eadem_, always the same

_Seriatim_, in sequence

_Serus in cœlum redeas_, after living for a long time may you enter heaven

_Sine cura_, without care

_Sine die_, without a day appointed

_Sine qua non_, an indispensable prerequisite

_Status quo_, the current situation the existing condition

_Sub rosa_, secretly, confidentially

_Sui generis_, unique

_Summum bonum_, the highest good

_Tempus fugit_, time flies

_Terra firma_, the solid earth

_Tuum est_, it is your own

_Una voce_, unanimously

_Ut infra_, as stated below

_Ut supra_, as stated above

_Verbatim_, word for word

_Versus_, against

_Via_, by the way of

_Vice versa_, the terms being exchanged

_Vi et armis_, by main force

_Viva voce_, by the living voice

_Vox populi est vox Dei_, the voice of the people is the voice of God

LAZY

Lackadaisical Dawdling

Altogether disinclined to the effort of exercise

Dawdling over duties

A profitless frame of mind

A strong disposition to inactivity

With folded arms

The tragedy of ease

The picture of placid content

Sleeping in a fool’s paradise

Luxury that unfits the soul

Never stirred by noble ambitions

As motionless as a tombstone

A little flaccid

A lazy ox is little better for the goad

As sleepy as a ground-hog in winter

Nothing is had for nothing

In a half-hearted manner

While away the time

Free from all care

He suffers from acute laziness

He wants to be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease

He treads the path of least resistance

His mind cankers

Predisposed to loiter

LETTERS

(GENERAL PHRASES)

For Letters of Acceptance

I thank you for your very kind invitation which I am happy to accept

It will give me great pleasure to——

I accept with much pleasure your kind invitation to——

I accept with pleasure and will——

It is most kind of you to include me in——

Many thanks for your thoughtfulness in inviting me

I shall be pleased to comply with your request

It was most kind of you to remember me

Thank you so much for your kindness in remembering me

How very thoughtful of you to——

For Letters of Apology

I trust you will pardon me for——

I write to apologize for my failure to——

I hope you will forgive me when I tell you that——

I am sorry I could not do as I had promised to do

I am very much mortified to find that——

Trusting you will forgive my great carelessness

I hope you have not suffered any inconvenience from——

Hoping you will pardon the——

I am afraid you will accuse me of rudeness, but I——

I hasten to repair my apparent neglect of——

You must have felt almost slighted to notice that I——

I am sure you will acquit me of any rudeness when——

For Letters of Condolence

Be assured of my deep sympathy with you in this time of great sorrow

I know too well that words cannot comfort you

Trusting that you will see the bright side of the dark cloud——I am with deep sympathy your friend

How can I attempt to comfort you in the bitter affliction which has befallen you

Would there were more like——

I regret to hear of your continued indisposition and hope that before long you may return to your wonted good health

A sweet and uncomplaining spirit

I should rejoice if I could be with you

I can only send my sympathy and best wishes for your speedy and complete recovery

Courage——hope remains

Time will heal many heartaches

May the Father of Mercies give you the rich consolation of His grace and preserve and strengthen you for your family

May you be sustained in this most bitter trial

The grateful sense of your kindness will never be erased from my mind

If my services can in any way assist you do not hesitate to ask for them

I am sincerely sorry to hear of your loss

He carried the riches of God within himself

He was a royal-hearted man

We are greatly afflicted by the melancholy intelligence which reached us that——

I knew the sterling integrity of his character

May God breathe into your heart peace and cheerful resignation

My mind is filled with very grateful memories

He was greatly beloved

I fall back upon a very delightful verse of Scripture: “He is able to subdue all things unto himself”

My heart is filled with the deepest gratitude as I think of ————

We send our earnest wishes for your speedy recovery

My most affectionate regards to ————

You seem to have your full share of human vicissitudes

He had such a fund of courage and good cheer

Dear, sweet, loving mother

A letter replete with tenderness and affection

All things work together for good to them that love God

A bruised reed shall he not break

Many daughters have done virtuously but thou excellest them all

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting

He giveth his beloved sleep

A very present help in trouble

We took sweet counsel together

God will take us into their goodly company some glad day

Glimpses of the reality which we instinctively feel will sometime be ours

The unmeasured things of hope which God has prepared for men

Our lives we must humbly commit to the guiding hand whose blessing we adore

Filled with strong consolation

There are many avenues by which God would come in and richly bless us

He had the secret of keeping the sacred fires aglow

He knew the deep principles of experimental religion

Ordinary consolations do not avail us

He knew the secret of beautiful living

He was a silent witness of right living

Many admiring friends

One who ministered so carefully and tenderly

All the more tragic because——

And this thought will be our comfort that——

Of gentle presence

All the gentle virtues came into full blossom

Looking forward with a Christian’s bright anticipation of a glad reunion

Persisted in keeping mind and spirit on the sunny side of life however hard the trials and difficulties

Mother’s fortitude and hopefulness is a lesson to us all

We send our united and sincere condolences

The news of your painful loss has been a great surprise to me

I have read of your bereavement with the deepest sorrow

You, who have so often comforted others, are now to be comforted

May you live in the confidence that ———— is in the enjoyment of everlasting happiness

It is a great comfort to us that

Words are inadequate to express my feelings

There are times when one cannot express himself in written words

The pen refuses to express adequately my sympathy to you

I sympathize keenly with you in the loss of your excellent ————

They are not lost to us

God will surely give you a kindly guidance in this hour of trial

The intimations of a future life shall some day be realized and we shall see and know again those whom we have “loved, and lost awhile”

Many beautiful traits made up his character

I join with you and his other friends in mourning his death most sincerely

It shocked me very much

I have heard with the greatest distress of——

I had learned to have a very warm feeling for ————

I had been intimately enough associated with him to feel that I knew him very well

Cast thy burden upon the Lord

Thou hast known my soul in adversities

I know their sorrows

A refuge from the storm

A shadow from the heat

In the furnace of affliction

I will hedge up thy way with thorns

Tribulation worketh patience

Our light affliction

In all their affliction he was afflicted

He healeth the broken in heart

For a small moment have I forgotten thee but with great mercies will I gather thee

God that comforteth those that are cast down comfort you

We shall have to bear our crosses with meekness and patience

So good a friend is capable of making any calamity light

The great loss you have sustained has caused me much uneasiness

I know not how to express my sorrow at the news which I have just received

That God may give you great consolation under this heavy burden is my fervent prayer

I should be glad if I could suggest anything to lighten your trouble and make your path a little more smooth and easy

Such a sad circumstance has come to you

Your sorrow’s night

When one’s heart is unspeakably tender

We extend our heartfelt sympathy

In your hour of trial

She was such a beautiful character, loved by every one

In these lonely hours you must not be cast down for there is help from God

His Word says that they that wait upon Him shall renew their strength

She was God’s good angel in your home

Grief that saps the heart

I account you mine

His name will long linger in our household

We must be brave in the face of trying circumstances

Of gracious memory

She bears up with the utmost fortitude

I received the melancholy intelligence last evening that——

He was the kindest, and most generous of men

The sweet remembrance of the just

A workman that needeth not to be ashamed

If God be for us who can be against us

Of whom the world was not worthy

Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth

Let not your heart be troubled

I know that your heart must be sorely grieved

God shall overcome this King of terrors

It is written, “As thy days so shall thy strength be”

We expect to see our loved ones in happier, brighter worlds above

God is able to soothe and sustain the distressed soul

May God’s love shine more and more in our hearts until the day breaks and the shadows flee away

He careth for you

A stronghold in the day of trouble

A covert from the storm

We unite in sending our love and sympathy

With warm regards

We beg you to accept our commiseration

Our hearts sorrow with you

He is such a very great comfort to us

We are uplifted by the assurance that——

A light which sorrow cannot quench

We must all wait the call of God with a calm trust

Let me have the comfort of hearing from you

The hand of God has been heavy

His sterling qualities of character will leave an indelible impress on those with whom he associated

His good life will live on

Dying in the triumphs of faith

Securely anchored in the never failing promises of God

A life of good-will, kindliness of spirit, and firm character

The benediction of his brotherly heart will bless many who knew him

We must live in the blessed anticipation of the glory that is to come

Do not fear, for God knows what is in your heart

Your path seems full of thorns

Your weather is bleak, but the storms will cease

Your sky is dark, but the sun shines

May the everlasting arms sustain you in the flood of sorrow

May God comfort you

Out of the thorn springeth the rose

I know you are in grief and heaviness

We commend you to the mercy and grace of God

The bitterness of affliction

The present floods of sorrow

You will have to cast your anchor in the dark

May your heart be constant

The Lord will surely give you rest from the days of adversity

I would that you should always have the sweet experience of the consolations of God

We all have the good-will of Him who dwelt in the bush

My heart is heavy for you

We must wait till the fair morning of the resurrection

I write my blessing, earnest prayers, the love of God, and the sweet presence of Christ to you and yours

You have suffered a grief which no human friend can assuage

I feel deeply your misfortune

I am grieved to hear that——

We are greatly concerned about——

We are sometimes called to sow in tears, but the harvest will be a series of everlasting joys. This blessed hope softens the trials of life

My times are in the Lord’s hands

I hope it may please God to endue us with a proper temper, and quiet perseverance, and that these trials may help us to purify our motives

One of the severest and most trying dispensations of Providence

Yours is indeed deep sorrow

You have the blessed reflection of having done all that could possibly be done

You have my earnest prayers that the Almighty may graciously support you

That the Almighty may bless, support, and comfort you, is the hearty prayer of——

Be assured of our cordial esteem and fervent prayers

May every consolation and blessing be granted to you

As long as I shall remember anything, I shall remember her virtues and her kindness

I hope I need not tell you how anxious I have been since I first heard of your great loss

May I share with you the deep sorrow you are called upon to bear at the loss of your——

Please accept for yourself my assurance of deep sympathy

Allow me to express my very sincere sympathy for you in the death of your——

Permit me to express on behalf of ———— and myself our deepest sympathy

May I express to you my sincere condolence in your hour of sorrow

Mrs. ———— and I offer you our most sincere sympathy in your great sorrow

Please accept my heartfelt sympathy in your bereavement

I hope you will find some consolation in the tribute of affection and esteem which——

I sympathize deeply with you

I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. _II Tim._ I., 12

The resurrection of life. _John_ V., 29

Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. _I Cor._ II., 9

In my father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. _John_ XIV., 2

There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. _II Tim._ IV., 8

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. _Heb._ IV., 9

We, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. _II Pet._ III., 13

Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. _Rev._ II., 10

They shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. _Rev._ III., 4

There shall be no night there. _Rev._ XXII., 5

The Lord shall be thy everlasting light and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. _Isa._ LX., 20

He is able to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. _Jude_, 24

The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. _Rom._ VIII., 18

Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. _II Cor._ IV., 17

The riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. _Eph._ I., 18

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away. _I Pet._ I., 4

So shall we ever be with the Lord. _I Thess._ IV., 17

They shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads. _Rev._ XXII., 4