Do you think the word like is used too much by young people?
Learn some different ways we use the word like in English conversation and informal spoken English and see the word like in action in a conversation with Super Agent Awesome.
One use that’s common with young speakers is the quotative like. That’s when they use ‘like’ instead of says or thinks to report someone’s words or thoughts.
Some people complain that the word like is used too much by young people and it’s sloppy English. But it isn’t just youthful slang and there are useful functions that like performs.
We’ll show you how like can signal approximation or exaggeration, how we use like as a discourse marker and also how like can be combined with a dramatic face to describe someone’s feelings.
Click here to learn the difference between ‘Do you like…?’ and ‘What’s it like?’
Click here to learn how to use ‘be like’, ‘look like’ and ‘be alike’.
‘Like’. This is such a common word in English, but do you know how it’s used in colloquial English? And do you know what it means in teenage slang?
Today we’re very lucky to have some help. Super Agent Awesome is here.
Thank you Vicki.
I’m Jay and I’m American.
And I’m Vicki and I’m British.
The word ‘like’ has several meanings in English.
It can be a verb. For example, ‘I like you’.
I like you too!
And it can also be a preposition.
So we could say ‘What’s it like? or ‘It looks like …’
I’ll put a link here to other videos we’ve made about that.
But today we’re looking at some colloquial uses of ‘like’ – in other words how we use it when we’re speaking informally.
And in slang. It’s a word that young people use a lot.
Luckily we have Super Agent Awesome to help us.
Let’s see an example.
The quotative like
Is there anything you complain about doing?
I will be like Mom, ‘I want to play Fortnite again. Please, please, please!’
So you complain about not playing Fortnite.
Yeah, I feel like everyone should play Fortnite!
Did you catch it?
He said ‘I feel like everyone should play Fortnite.’
Well he loves that game, but he also said this.
So he used ‘like’ to report what he’ll say to his Mom.
This use of ‘like’ is particularly common with young people.
We call this the quotative ‘like’ because it’s about quoting what people say and also what they’re thinking. So it has a more general meaning than just ‘say’. It can mean ‘think’ too because you can use it to describe inner feelings and thoughts.
Notice we always use the verb ‘be’ here. You can change the tense, so you can use the future ‘I will be like …’ Or the past, ‘I was like …’ but we always use the verb ‘be’.
Is this use of like just an American thing?
No. Though they think it started in California in the 1980s. But it’s used by English speakers all over the world these days.
Do you think like is used too much?
Some people complain that young people use the word ‘like’ too much. They think it’s sloppy English.
Sloppy. Sloppy means without care or effort.
Do you think it’s sloppy and lazy?
No. I think it’s very interesting because languages change over time and if you look carefully, you find ‘like’ has new and useful functions in English. It can signal what we say and think and it can signal other things too.
Then let’s look at another example.
More functions that like performs
Do you ever complain about having to go to bed at a certain time?
Yeah. So one time, I was watching a movie, um, it was like Hotel Transylvania III. And then there was this really dramatic action scene, and like the villain is about to beat the hero, or the hero is about to beat the villain, but then Dad stopped me and I had to go to bed.
Uhuh.
Why did he say ‘like’ here?
Well he was remembering, but he wasn’t totally sure. Perhaps that was the movie, or perhaps it was a different one.
So ‘like’ signaled he wasn’t sure?
Yes and he said it again later.
Now the hero is the good guy and the villain is the bad guy.
And he couldn’t remember who was winning, so he signaled that by saying ‘like’
‘Like’ signaled he wasn’t sure.
Yes. This isn’t just a feature of young people’s speech. We use ‘like’ in the same way.
It signals uncertainty or that something is approximate.
For example, it’s like this big. And it could be this big or it could be this big.
‘Like’ signals an approximation.
It means what I’m saying might not be perfectly accurate. And it can also signal exaggeration. It’s like this big!
That sounds like a useful function!
And another way we use ‘like’ is as a discourse marker
What do you mean?
It’s a word we use to organize our speech. For example … Like … Well … So … We put like it at the start of a sentence when we’re thinking of what to say.
So it’s a filler. Like Errr … and Umm …..
Yes, it’s a word that fills a space and helps us speak more smoothly.
OK. Let’s hear another story.
Can you name something that you’ve had to apologize for doing?
Oh I know, I know, I know, I know. The time where I buried my Dad’s ring. I had to apologize for burying my Dad’s wedding ring.
Before we carry on, do you know the word ‘bury’.
It means to put something in the ground.
When people die we bury them. It’s a regular verb. Bury, buried, buried.
A dog could bury a bone in the ground.
We can bury treasure too.
I had to apologize for burying my Dad’s wedding ring. The reason why I did it was because I wanted to use the metal detector. Then I told my Dad and said ‘Dad, where’s the metal detector?’ Then my Dad was like your brother took it apart a couple of months ago, and then I’m like … Dad was like ‘Yo, what’s wrong?’ And then I was like Argh! I buried your wedding ring. And then my Dad was like … Oh! So that’s why you wanted to use the metal detector.
Did you understand everything?
He buried his Dad’s wedding ring in the yard.
Or in British English, the garden.
He buried it in the yard so he could try to find it with the metal detector.
But their metal detector was broken because his brother had taken it apart.
Did they ever find the ring?
No. I think it’s still lost. Let’s hear what his Dad said again.
And then my Dad was like … Oh! So that’s why you wanted to use the metal detector.
He’s lucky because his Dad is really nice.
He was very understanding.
OK, there was one more use of ‘like’ there that’s common and pretty funny.
Your brother took it apart a couple of months ago and then I’m like ….
So you can say ‘like’ and then make a funny face.
It’s very common.
And easy too. No words, just a dramatic face.
I want to say a big thank you to Super Agent Awesome for helping us make this video.
He was like … !
If you enjoyed this video, please give it a thumbs up and share it with your friends.
See you next week everyone. Bye.
Bye-bye.
Click here to learn the difference between ‘Do you like…?’ and ‘What’s it like?’
Click here to learn how to use ‘be like’, ‘look like’ and ‘be alike’.
“Like” is one of the most commonly used words in English – and when you’re new to learning the language, it can be a bit of a confusing one, as it has so many different meanings!
In fact – did you know that there are actually five different ways to use the word “like”? Phew! Sounds like hard work.
You might hear it a lot in everyday spoken English – especially as it has become very popular to use colloquially. But if you’re not sure on how to use this word correctly, then read on to find out.
Like – to enjoy
One of the most common ways that you’ll hear the word “like” is as a verb – “to like”.
This is a verb used to express the fact that you enjoy something, and it can be used just like many other verbs in English.
For example: “I like walking to work, but she liked to drive instead.”
Nice and simple!
Would like – to request something
“Like” can also be used as an alternative to the verb, “to want”, in a form that is considered less aggressive and demanding, and more polite. You would use the word with the modal verb, “would”, and you always need to use the full phrase “would like”.
For example: “She would like to place her order now.”
Be like – to describe the characteristics of something
This is when the uses of “like” start to get a bit more complex. In this use, the word is used to describe the personality, character or particular traits of something.
In this case it is used with the verb “to be”. If you are using it in the past tense, only the main part of the verb “to be” is changed, and the word “like” stays the same.
For example: “What was he really like?”
Like – as a simile
Developing from the previous use of the word, “like” is often used as a simile – or a comparison with something else, in order to describe something.
Sounds confusing? Let’s take a look at an example!
“The bedroom was like a disaster zone.”
In a simile, you still need to use the verb “to be” with the word “like”, but instead of describing the actual characteristics, you can use something else – which might be drastically different.
For example: “She was nervous and shaky, like a mouse.”
This is a great way of adding a bit more personality into your spoken English, but you would not use similes very often in written English, unless you are writing creatively.
Look like – describing appearances
The last common use of the word “like” is to describe experiences. This is done through the verb “to look like”. You can use this just as in the previous examples when you used the form “to be like”. In this case, the part of the phrase that changes according to tense and subject is “look”, while the word “like” stays the same.
For example: “I look like a really messy person, while she looks like a celebrity!”
Your turn
Understanding how the word “like” is used in different contexts and forms is a really helpful way to build on your English skills – make sure you practice each of the five uses as much as you can!
Hi Everyone,
Today we started off with a review of the word “like”, which can be used in many, many ways. “Like” is very flexible and has a range of meanings. “Like” can be used as a preposition, conjunction, noun, adjective, adverb, verb and slang interjection. We made some sentence examples using “like” in its various forms.
The word “like” has become very popular in spoken English and has become one of the most used words in conversation. So, like, it was so cold this morning, I like had to look all over for my winter coat! We use like to hesitate; approximate; complain; and reinforce our conversations. We had two volunteers to read a dialogue between two friends who are talking about what they are going to do today. This conversation is full of “like” in many uses. Read through it again here.
Today, we focused on the like as a verb and its opposite dislike. 
Like as a preposition and its opposite, unlike. And like as an adjective and alike, which have the same meaning, but, are used in different places in a sentence. (for example, She looks like her mother. She and her mother look alike.)
We did a review using like, dislike, unlike, and alike to complete these sentences.
Before we watched today’s short film, “Alike”, we tried to guess what the film might be about. The two main characters are a father named Copi and his son, Paste. Here is a picture of the two of them from the film :
We speculated on the relationship between father and son, and what were their lives like. What made them alike? As we watched the film, we focused on the role of color in the film, and the activities of both father and son. Watch the film here:
After watching we discussed the colors in the film and what they meant. Since there is no dialogue in the film, colors, and facial and body expressions were important to understand the story. We talked about the lives of Copi and Paste. What problems does the film show? We talked about if this is a realistic view of modern society. Do we need more creativity in our lives? We agreed that we did, but, as a busy adult it’s hard to find the time. At the end of the film we thought that Copi learned from Paste, and Paste learned from Copi. Nice work everyone, thanks for sharing your thoughts, ideas and insights on today’s topic!
Words of the day
wait tables (idiom) : to serve food or drinks as a waiter or waitress. ( lots of you looked at the word “wait” and confused it with “wait for” a table in a restaurant. This idiom uses “wait” to mean “to serve”. Think of the words “waitress” and “waiter” who are the people in a restaurant that serve you food and drinks) Before she starts her job at Google next month, she decided to wait tables for a few weeks to earn some money.
perch (verb) : to sit on or be on something high or on something from which it is easy to fall Birds often perch on the ledge outside my window.
bite-size(adjective) : small enough to be eaten in one bite. One of the things I love about Halloween are all the bite-size candies that my neighbors give out for Trick or Treat!
Remember to relax and practice!
Sometimes I catch myself speaking aloud and hear one too many «like» adverbs in my conversations. I hear it all of the time. It’s, like, annoying!
Mainly, I remember growing up in the 1980s and reading plenty a Valley Girl book and hearing references of pretty, big-haired girls using the word with shameless irrelevance to what they were trying to say. The word has no real meaning.
Why is it annoying? Why is it wrong?
Well, it is not proper English. I wouldn’t say it is wrong though.
The word interrupts a statement.
For example:
«I was, like, so mad at her.»
«The lake is, like, 2 miles long.»
«This is so, like, amazing.»
«You can’t believe how grateful I am that you are, like, a life-saver.»
In other words, the word has a purpose as an adverb. So, it is not wrong.
The problem is that overuse of the word in public speaking creates an unpolished and somewhat unsophisticated tone. In writing, it is generally an unacceptable use of syntax and word order. It serves no purpose, because there is no need for, like, an interruption within writing. 
This is easy enough to understand. When speaking aloud, young and old, may feel the need to pause within thoughts before speaking. Enter the need for the word «like» at times when the ideal words escape the mind.
What you want to avoid is sounding stupid. Blunt, but true.
Overusing an adverb that by definition of its use implies you do not know what to say or what you really mean is not a habit worth making. If you need to interrupt all of your vocal thoughts with the word «like,» you may have developed a bad routine, easy to break.
First, slow down your speaking pace.
Second, focus on phrasing your speaking. In other words, add a natural pause to some of your talking. This way you eliminate the need to «fill in» with the word «like.» It also helps you sound less mechanical.
Third, create lists of people in your life who you should not speak to using the word «like,» and begin cognitively noticing if you do or do not. Slowly, you will see your usage of the word decrease naturally.
It is after all a, like, really bad habit.
The following conversation occurred between two girls from Southern California.
“So, like uhh, what do you want to like, do today?”
“I don’t know, like, its such a beautiful day out, we should, like, go to the beach.”
“That sounds like a good idea, but like, how are we going to get there?”
“Like, uh, let’s call Mike and see if he’ll like give us a ride.”
“Are you sure that’s like, a good idea? Like didn’t you two just like break up?”
“Well, I mean, like, the last time we talked he was like, “I think we should see other people,” and then I was like, “But Mike, I like really like you.”
“Like oh my god, and then like what did he say next?”
“He was like, “I like you too, but I just can’t be with someone who says ‘like’ so much.”
The word like has become increasingly popular in spoken English in recent years, and has quickly become one of the most used words in conversation. Its uses are many, and it can be used to: stall for time; report speech; soften what you say; approximate; complain; and reinforce. Like is an important word to study because of how often you will hear it used in conversation. Learning how to use it properly will go a long way towards making you sounds more like a native speaker.
Before we go further, I need to put up a disclaimer around the usage of the word like. When used in moderation the word like can be a powerful linguistic tool; use it too much and you risk sounding like a teenage girl. People who over use the word like are perceived as less intelligent and articulate than people who avoid using it. My advice to you is to only incorporate usage of the word like in 1 or 2 of the following ways, but not all of them.
What you already know
You are already familiar with two definitions of the word like. You know that ‘to like’ means ‘to enjoy.” For example:
“I like to eat pão de queijo.”
“Peter likes making pizza.”
If something is like something else, it is similar to it. For example:
“Written Spanish is kind of like Portuguese.”
“Australian English is not like New Zealand English.”
“I’m thinking about what to say”
When you are thinking about what to say and want to fill the air with something, like is the word that you use. In this case, like is very similar to tipo in Portuguese. If you stay silent for too long someone may interrupt you; to avoid this keep saying “like…uhh….like…uhh” until you remember what you were going to say. Here are some examples:
“Do you think you and Janet are going to get married?”
“I don’t know… like… I want to, but then again, I’m kind of scared, you know?”
“What did you do last week?”
“I like… don’t remember!”
From the conversation at the beginning:
“So, like uhh, what do you want to like, do today?”
To report speech or thought
When telling a story to your friends, saying “he said” and “I said” can get pretty repetitive, so sometimes you can change things up by using like. “I was like” can be used in the place of “I said”; “he was like” in the place of “he said. Some teenage girls have completely lost the ability to say “I/you/he/she said” and only use like. To be clear, it’s acceptable to use “he was like” without seeming like a teenage girl, but just don’t let it entirely replace your use of the word “said.”
When “I was like” is used it doesn’t necessarily mean that you said something; it can also be used to designate that you thought something. So in this case “I was like” takes the place of “I thought to myself.” This is also commonly used during story telling.
“You broke up with her? Wow. How did she take it?”
“She was like “What! After all I’ve done for you?”
“And then the teacher was like ‘We have a surprise test today,’ and I was like ‘Shit, I didn’t study at all.’”
In the example from the beginning:
“Well, I mean, like, the last time we talked he was like, “I think we should see other people,” and then I was like, “But Mike, I like really like you.”
To reduce conviction, certainty or force
Like can be used if you aren’t entirely sure about what you are saying and you want to convey your uncertainty. When used like this, like should be before a number, time or quantity.
“Do you exercise a lot?”
“I, like, enjoy working out, but not, like, all the time or anything.”
“What time will you be at the party?”
“I’ll be there at like, 5 or 6.”
In the above conversation it was used like this:
“…we should, like, go to the beach.”
Like can also be used to lessen the force of what you are demanding or requesting of someone.
“Could you do it, like, tomorrow?”
“Oh sure. No problem.”
“Can you like, shut up?”
Like meaning “approximately”
Do you have a hard time pronouncing the word “approximately?” Just start using like instead. Like can be used to show that you are uncertain of a quantity that you are giving to someone. For example:
“Entrance to that bar should be like, ten bucks.”
“He’s like, ten or eleven years old, I think.”
Like Meaning “for example”
In almost all cases the word like can be used to replace ‘for example’. When used this way it should be before a noun or noun phrase. So like:
“Have you been to any Asian countries, like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos or North Korea?”
“Do you have any hobbies, like stamp collecting or photography?”
To reinforce
The last use of like is to add reinforcement to something that you are saying. I don’t recommend using like in this way, but I feel like I should add it in here for the sake of completeness.
“Did you see that girl?”
“Yeah, she’s like, so hot.”
“How was Hawaii?”
“Oh, it was like, perfect!”
In the conversation from the beginning it was used like this:
“…like, its such a beautiful day out…”
So like, that’s it. I hope you’ve learned a few new uses for the word like today. If you have any questions about their usage please leave a comment below.
Have you ever heard someone use like in one of the ways described here? Leave your answer in the comments below.