The word like.
Confusing, messy, untidy and hard to categorize; a true monster for language learners. However, like most monsters, this word can be dealt with if we brace ourselves and prepare with the adequate weaponry against it: in our case, the knowledge of its nature.
Like I said, though I don’t like to say it, the word ‘like’ is, umm, like, a monster. Okay. What did I just say? My sentence does not carry much cognitive depth; it shows the uses of the word quite well. Let’s analyze it quickly. ‘Like I said’ = ‘as I have mentioned before’, ‘I don’t like to say it’ = ‘I’m not glad to speak about…’, ‘umm, like, a monster’ = ‘it’s a, well, err, something similar to a monster.’
The three functions the word has taken up are very distinct, as you can see in the previous paragraph. At first, it was a word used for comparison, second it was a verb, and third it was a minimal linker in informal speech. That is all; however mastering this feat takes some practice.
The (main) functions:
1. The verb form: The most simple of the three, the verb form is something every learner of English acquires in the first few months of their careers. The meaning of the word is ‘Feelings of affection or preference for particular things[…].’ (The Oxford English Dictionary). More simply: to enjoy something or get from positive impulses from something.
E.x.: Karen, my neighbor really likes watching stars from her roof.
E.x.: Damien kind of likes Esther, however I can see that she doesn’t like him at all.
Like, as a verb has a direct negative form: dislike. This means the complete opposite of the former word.
E.x.: If there is one thing I dislike it’s people who apply bumper-sticker-phrases all the time.
E.x.: She didn’t exactly hate the fact that we’re going mountain climbing, but she disliked it.
2. The modal, comparative function word for showing a relation between two things.
E.x.: Her hair looks like it has been styled with glue.
E.x.: A fixed gear bike is a like a mockery of modern industry; it literally has no parts to worry about.
3. At its third usage, the word ‘like’ is not often used in writing, however it is very much part of everyday informal speech in the United States. Its function is not so easy to describe, but to make it clear: it can be a substitute for ‘err’ or ‘right’, meaning it is a signal of uncertainty. For some strange reason I noticed that mostly girls apply this function, but I may be disproved. The more important side of the question is how to recognize when someone uses this in conversation. Well, there are two ways of recognition: a linguistic and a meta-linguistic method. In grammar, if like is a verb it connects with a noun, since it is transitive. If it stands very close to an object, and not far away from a subject, it is a verb. If like is placed between a form of to be and a noun, it probably is a modal. Anywhere else in the sentence (in spoken informal English) it is a signal of uncertainty and/or filler-word.
To help you in recognizing the function of the word, let’s see 10 sample sentences. Which function is it? ( A – verb; B – modal; C – signal/filler)
1. In the Middle Ages witch hunters did like to drown the examinees to see whether they have supernatural strengths.
2. No matter how much I, like call him, or like, text or whatever, he won’t even reply.
3. She really was like an Amazon: leather jacket, tight pants, a studded leather belt, a big wooden stick and an expression that was the woman’s who had nothing to lose.
4. I kind of dislike the way that broad is treating Jacob.
5. Umm, like, could you, like, you know, fix us up, or something?
6. Devon is clearly not a person who likes to f.ck about.
7. Nigella, the new girl on human resources is nothing like her predecessor: she is slender, petite and very elegant.
8. I’m desperately learning to like the Cantonese kitchen, but for some mystical reason, the more I try, the more I hate it. Should I just, like quit?
9. I know someone who might like the job offer: he is well-built, handsome, modest enough for the picky clients, and is much like Roger Moore was in his prime.
10. They surely will discontinue liking our fan-page on Facebook. What a drag!
As for a final piece of help, I kindly suggest that you watch this video. The best way to learn about contemporary (bad) American language is to watch videos such as this one. Try to defocus of the content but sharpen your ears and understand the structures in which this lesser-academic girl talks.
Have fun,
dan, the man
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