When Ms. Leoni talks about her work, she sounds ambivalent at best.

But a moment later, perhaps recalling something exciting he had heard about lab science, he sounded ambivalent.

Mr. Whitworth sounded ambivalent about the new order.

Testaverde sounded ambivalent about what he should do; he would not even say whether he could play if this were a regular-season game.

But the 36-year-old writer can also sound environmentally ambivalent.

Mary Murray, the Newburyport superintendent, sounds ambivalent about the move toward private financing.

Then, sounding ambivalent again, he added: "It was an amazing work.

For his part, Mr. Hayes sounded ambivalent about rap music.

Yet they sometimes sound ambivalent about being trapped in the coils of heroin addiction.

"You sound ambivalent," Mason said.