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Today I asked my a close friend of mine who is very luckily completely in my schedule for even days to count the number of times I would use the word "like" that day. At the end of the day he solemnly tells me, "24". I actually predicted it would be somewhere along those lines so I just gave him a nod and walked home.
I've made a resolution. Eliminate the word "like" from my speech completely unless it's absolutely required for things like similes. I've decided to replace "like" with "maybe" whenever I just throw it in because I'm not entirely sure. When I make numerical estimates, I'll use "around" in lieu of "like". When there are those sentences where you say things like, "That is, like, the greatest thing ever created.", I'll just not include that part of the sentence.
I realize how self-conscious I must be to want to do this, but I also realized how stupid (for lack of a better word) such repetition of "like", using it at least once in almost every other sentence, actually is. It's not just me, obviously, everyone I know at my school also overuses the word for various reasons, and I've become increasingly aware of it. I just have some innate calling to stop sprinkling the word around in whatever I say, I don't want to stop just because I think people who overuse it make themselves look like imbeciles.
It has already proven to be a challenge, I just now said to my mom after she asked me what time I wanted to eat: "I don't know. Like, an hour?"
 
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Do you live in California? It's like an essential part of speech here, I wouldn't be able to get by without it.
'Like' can mean a whole ton of things...do you not use it as a replacement for the word 'said'? Though it is stupid if you overuse it, it's perfectly acceptable here to use it all the time.
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My AP Gov teacher was really hard on that. He'd ring this bell every time the word "like" was said, and he'd always make us correct ourselves.
However, I never spoke in class, so I haven't really gotten rid of the word "like" >.<
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United States24680 Posts
I agree that it's kinda dumb to overuse it, but I think it's okay to use it a reasonable amount under more informal circumstances. Save the abstinence for when you need to sound professional... and even then 'like' is ok sometimes.
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Canada635 Posts
I don't understand the hate on like.
It adds something to the phase.
"It is, like, the greatest thing ever." and "It is the greatest thing ever." have different meanings.
In grade 11 I was asking this person to fill out my survey for a class and i said: "It'll take, like, 2 minutes." She didn't like that I was using like and decided to give me a hard time. "2 minutes or like two minutes?" she replied. "Uhh, well, I'm not promising exactly two minutes, so, like two minutes is more accurate." Then she filled out the survey.
So my friend, use like! It gives leeway and demonstrates more closely the message that you want to deliver in many situations.
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On October 23 2008 05:52 Fontong wrote:
Do you live in California? It's like an essential part of speech here, I wouldn't be able to get by without it.
'Like' can mean a whole ton of things...do you not use it as a replacement for the word 'said'? Though it is stupid if you overuse it, it's perfectly acceptable here to use it all the time.
yeah right
Name any intelligent grown up who overuses the word 'like'. Or who would phrase a sentence like: "That's like, ..... "
It's a phase, you grow out of it. Don't worry about it OP, in a few years you'll talk normally! (Given you don't surround yourself with idiots all the time.)
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what's wrong with "I like this idea"
how would you replace like while maintaining equivalent meaning?
most of the time i use "like" when it's appropriate (like above .. or right now). i use it sometimes as a stall word, similar to 'uhh' or 'umm'. i wonder if you're planning to get rid of those words as well? if anything, 'uhh' and 'umm' should be the first to go. Obviously they don't, because they're essential words, much like "like".
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Saying "like" 24 times a day doesn't sound too bad =/
Well...I guess it also depends on how much you talk.
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United States17042 Posts
I don't think that using the word "like" a certain number of times per day is a sign of overuse. if it was within what you were expecting, then there is no particular reason to even cut down on the number of times that you say "like".
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On October 23 2008 06:32 Frits wrote:Show nested quote +On October 23 2008 05:52 Fontong wrote:
Do you live in California? It's like an essential part of speech here, I wouldn't be able to get by without it.
'Like' can mean a whole ton of things...do you not use it as a replacement for the word 'said'? Though it is stupid if you overuse it, it's perfectly acceptable here to use it all the time. yeah right Name any intelligent grown up who overuses the word 'like'. Or who would phrase a sentence like: "That's like, ..... " It's a phase, you grow out of it. Don't worry about it OP, in a few years you'll talk normally! (Given you don't surround yourself with idiots all the time.)
Different cultures. You have clogs, Californians have "like".
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On October 23 2008 08:21 SonuvBob wrote:Show nested quote +On October 23 2008 06:32 Frits wrote:On October 23 2008 05:52 Fontong wrote:
Do you live in California? It's like an essential part of speech here, I wouldn't be able to get by without it.
'Like' can mean a whole ton of things...do you not use it as a replacement for the word 'said'? Though it is stupid if you overuse it, it's perfectly acceptable here to use it all the time. yeah right Name any intelligent grown up who overuses the word 'like'. Or who would phrase a sentence like: "That's like, ..... " It's a phase, you grow out of it. Don't worry about it OP, in a few years you'll talk normally! (Given you don't surround yourself with idiots all the time.) Different cultures. You have clogs, Californians have "like".
What kind of barbarian wouldn't wear wooden shoes.
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On October 23 2008 08:24 Frits wrote:Show nested quote +On October 23 2008 08:21 SonuvBob wrote:On October 23 2008 06:32 Frits wrote:On October 23 2008 05:52 Fontong wrote:
Do you live in California? It's like an essential part of speech here, I wouldn't be able to get by without it.
'Like' can mean a whole ton of things...do you not use it as a replacement for the word 'said'? Though it is stupid if you overuse it, it's perfectly acceptable here to use it all the time. yeah right Name any intelligent grown up who overuses the word 'like'. Or who would phrase a sentence like: "That's like, ..... " It's a phase, you grow out of it. Don't worry about it OP, in a few years you'll talk normally! (Given you don't surround yourself with idiots all the time.) Different cultures. You have clogs, Californians have "like". What kind of barbarian wouldn't wear wooden shoes.
In California we have these things called 'sandals,' so I guess it would be us sandal-wearing like-saying barbarians.
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hey we have people here too who wear sandals (not wooden ones)
they just get bullied generally.... a lot
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I don't really maybe this thread.
Wait... what?
+ Show Spoiler +It's an essential part of speech, as long as you aren't using it such as when teen chicks when they go on their rants. + Show Spoiler +"OMG I KNOW, like, I was like totally! And she was like "I really like thought that the whole time!"
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In High School I had an algebra teacher that would go off on any of the girls that would use "like" in places where they didn't have to, or like, whatever, you like, know. He would do the same thing for "times" in the place of "multiply".
I found it extremely annoying, because I don't think it matters at all. I also think that "like" needs more credit; It's really not that bad. It is also sometimes perfectly fine to use it in that manner.
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On October 23 2008 09:02 Motiva wrote:
In High School I had an algebra teacher that would go off on any of the girls that would use "like" in where they didn't have to or whatever. He would do the same thing for "times" in the place of "multiply".
I found it extremely annoying, because I don't think it matters at all. I also think that "like" needs more credit, It's really not that bad. It is also sometimes perfectly fine to use it in that manner.
Sounds like a good teacher.
Im from the southern part of Holland and we have all these language peculiarities that are basically hammered on till they're out of your system. You need to be able to speak your language well without any silly unnecessary words to be successful later on. In my case it's even more annoying, in southern Holland we have certain things that would be considered gramatically incorrect in the rest of the country, so retarded.
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United States24680 Posts
On October 23 2008 09:02 Motiva wrote:
He would do the same thing for "times" in the place of "multiply".
I don't complain when students do this, but I cringe a bit internally.
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i come back and see posts that clearly say either you didn't read everything or misunderstood
JeeJee I obviously wouldn't take it out in that case.
waterGHOSTCLAWdragon I expected something around those lines because I had realized how many times other people used it and just made an estimate. It wasn't the certain number, I just wanted to make sure.
Grobyc, I definitely did not say replace "like" with "maybe" in every case, like the one you used with the stereotypical teen girl rant. You need to read and stop making such ignorant posts.
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On October 23 2008 09:51 tube wrote:
i come back and see posts that clearly say either you didn't read everything or misunderstood
Grobyc, I definitely did not say replace "like" with "maybe" in every case, like the one you used with the stereotypical teen girl rant. You need to read and stop making such ignorant posts.
What are you talking about? That was a valid example of how some people use the word "like" too much in regular speech and how it occurs naturally, I wasn't being ignorant, I was agreeing with you. but just saying the word "like" cannot be replaced in sentences other than the example about similes that you used. I read the whole thread completely before posting and i was simply emphasizing more on your original post. if you think what i posted was ignorant than maybe you should elaborate more on your original post. but for the most part i was agreeing with you.
On October 23 2008 05:48 tube wrote:
Eliminate the word "like" from my speech completely unless it's absolutely required for things like similes
And if you did not get the "Wait... what?" part of my post then maybe you should read it again, it was only a little joke added in to show there are other sentences where you cannot replace "like".
EDIT: Also you said "i come back and see posts that clearly say either you didn't read everything or misunderstood". Maybe since there are multiple people having the same problem with your logic you should think twice before calling 1 person ignorant over a single post.
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I like like it.
US slang is fun.
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EPT
