Ok my teenage years are over. I want to speak like a mature adult but the one word I can't stop saying is "like". I want to stop saying it but everytime I'm in a conversation with someone I sound nothing more then a teeny-bop girl! Can anyone help me with my problem?
Thank You
2007-03-22 07:45:12 · 12 answers · asked by Joseph 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
Like is a filler just like UM. the brain doesn't like dead space or silence. and it gives your brain time to get the thoughts to your mouth. So you subconsciously drop in filler words like "like" or "Um"...Or the latest, which is my biggest pet peeve, "I mean".
How to stop? you have to train yourself to think about what you want to say then say it. take a pause think speak.
Hope that helps
2007-03-22 07:55:41 · answer #1 · answered by Tony L 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get a little change purse and put a quarter in it each time you say "like" in that way. Let it inconvenience you - if you have to go break a dollar to get quarters, even better. When you get home, put them in a jar and add a quarter to the jar every time you say "like" as a filler. The money can't be touched for six months. Stick a label on the jar and mark the date when the money can be used, and don't touch it until that date. It's a great incentive.
2007-03-22 09:13:07 · answer #2 · answered by Non-Believers.net 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everytime I would say a word I didnt want to I would pinch my arm. It hurt for a while but I stoped doing it.
Make a plan and stick with it. A coworker put money change in a jar everyhting she says @ss. What ever coins she has her her pocket or purse all go into the jar. At least when she is done she will have money for whatever!
2007-03-22 07:49:29 · answer #3 · answered by hpulka 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't think that there must be something coming out of your mouth at all times. It is ok to pause and think. Say a sentence and wait for a response. Slow down when you talk and there won't be so many pauses that you think need fillers.
2007-03-22 07:50:12 · answer #4 · answered by Barkley Hound 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, the fact that you are aware of it and want to change it is good. Ask your friends and family to pick you up on it each time you say it.
You will probably find you get fixated on different words as you go through life. I had a phase of saying "absolutely" every second sentence, and it drove me NUTS!
2007-03-22 07:49:02 · answer #5 · answered by catfish 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have someone follow you around with a loud buzzer and tell them to buzz it every time you say like.
Or record yourself talking for a while and listen to it so you'll be aware of how much you actually say it.
Or think before you speak.
2007-03-22 07:48:34 · answer #6 · answered by Dale D 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Start counting every use of the word in your mind, or have a friend do that for you. Often dropping the word ENTIRELY you can convey the same message or sentence. (Well excpet for "I LIKE it!"). Like, know what I mean, eh?
2007-03-22 07:53:42 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that it is a way for you to think of what you're going to say next. My suggestion is to talk a little slower and try that.
2007-03-22 07:54:05 · answer #8 · answered by zocko 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have to actively listen to what you say and slowly eliminate the need to say it
2007-03-22 08:42:42 · answer #9 · answered by Experto Credo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
chances are you are still hanging around others that say "like". change your association a little, and you will stop saying it around your new friends b/c they don't say it either.
2007-03-22 07:51:44 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋