HOW TO STOP SAYING THE WORD "LIKE"

After reading my article "THAT BEING SAID", my brother suggested everyone would LIKE the following article:

HOW TO STOP SAYING THE WORD "LIKE"

Every language has its vocalized pauses, which are meaningless words used to keep the conversation flowing smoothly. In English, it's usually "um", "er", "ah", or "you know." In North America, especially among young people, it's common to use the word "like" as a vocalized pause. It began with "Valley speak" which is a stereotypical manner of speaking that originated in Southern California in the 70s. If you're, like, totally hooked on using the word "like," then these instructions will help you speak more professionally and stop being (like, so) annoying.

Everybody has done it at least once, teachers, professors, even President Obama has the habit. If you feel informal for having the habit, you're not alone.

Know that using the word 'like' a lot makes you sound uncertain or unsure of yourself. When you take this out of your vocabulary, you start sounding more definitive and confident of your answers.

Know how the word "like" is supposed to be used. There are only two correct usages:

Similarity - "This tastes like chicken."
Enjoyment - "I like this movie."

Pause when you would typically insert "like." Vocalized pauses are just filling places where you should pause. So, each time you anticipate saying "like," pause instead. This approach works for other vocalized pauses, such as: "um," "er," "ah," and, "you know."

Pausing will also make you sound more authoritative. Record yourself to see how often you use the word "like" incorrectly. Once you can pinpoint your most common mistakes, it'll be easier to catch yourself in action and make corrections. In any conversation or when speaking freely for a few minutes, you'll probably notice a few patterns, which are addressed in the following steps.

Stop using "like" when quoting someone. Whenever you catch yourself using "like" to put words in someone's mouth, replace it with "said". Better yet, come up with a verb that more specifically describes how the person spoke: yelled, whispered, answered, exclaimed, insisted, etc. Doing this helps the reader imagine what you're describing, and your stories will be much more enjoyable to listen to.

Incorrect: "He was like 'Where are you going?' and she was like 'None of your business!'"

Correct: "He asked 'Where are you going?' and she yelled 'None of your business!"

Don't use "like" to approximate. When you're giving a quantity that you're not sure of, you might use the word "like" to indicate that you're guessing or approximating. In this case, it can easily be replaced by the following words: about, approximately, or roughly.

Incorrect: "She's, like, five feet tall."
Correct: "She's about five feet tall."

Incorrect: "You'll need, like, three tablespoons of butter."
Correct: "You'll need roughly three tablespoons of butter."

Stop using "like" before adjectives and adverbs. You might also find yourself plugging other fillers such as "so" or "really" in between.

Incorrect: "He was, like, so tall."
Correct: "He was tall."

Incorrect: "She's, like, really irritated."
Correct: "She's irritated."

Improve your vocabulary. Your speech might feel "naked" without the word "like" to fill in gaps. The best remedy for this is to become more articulate. Whenever a statement feels plain, try to think of ways you can be more specific or descriptive.

Bad: "He's like 160 lbs."
Good: "He's about 160 lbs."
Better: "He weighs 160 lbs and has a stocky build."
Bad: "She's, like, really happy with her new job."
Good: "She's happy with her new job."
Better: "She's more satisfied with her new job."

Quit using the word "like" altogether. If you find that you're still having a hard time using "like" correctly, you might want to abandon the word altogether, at least temporarily, just to break the habit. Even though there are ways to use "like" correctly, there are also ways to replace it. You can't use the word incorrectly if you don't use it at all!

Similarity: Replace "like" with "similar to."
Enjoyment: Replace "like" with "enjoy" or "savor" or "love."

Ask friends, family, and co-workers to let you know whenever you use the word "like" incorrectly. For more encouragement, have them make you put some money in a jar (a quarter, a dollar) every time you say "like".

Don't replace "like" with another filler such as "um", "ah", "actually", "basically", "ya'know", or "and stuff".