"like"

*English geek warning*

The word "like" has probably been around in the English language for a very long time. Theoretically, it is used to compare two similar things ("This cake tastes like dirt") or  to express genuine pleasure ("I like turtles").

Except the word "like" is now so overused that half the time, we don't even realize we say it.

Example A: today's history class

"So, like, the Chinese Golden Age was, like, this period in ancient China were, like, they farmed this new type of rice and it, like, grew faster than the other types of rice so, like, their population boosted."

No, really, I'm dead serious. Read that sentence out loud to yourself and marvel at the total ridiculousness of it.

The saddest and strangest part of it is that everyone talks like this. I do. You do. The only reason I'm even conscious of this is because my cousin was very nearly trained out of it by her father, because he charged her a penny every time she said it unnecessarily and she took it upon herself to attempt to train me out of it using the same method.

It almost worked. I'm not cured, but I have this twisted notion of trying again. Wish me luck, because chances are I'll fail miserably.