In the English language, the word like has a very flexible range of uses, ranging from conventional to non-standard. It can be used as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective, preposition, particle, conjunction, hedge, interjection, and quotative.
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In the English language, the word like has a very flexible range of uses, ranging from conventional to non-standard. It can be used as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective, preposition, particle, conjunction, hedge, interjection, and quotative.
Word history
As a preposition or adjective, it comes from the Middle English like meaning "similar", which in turn comes from Anglo-Saxon gelīc and Old Norse líkr. The verb "to like" came from Anglo-Saxon līcian. Both words may be related to Anglo-Saxon līc = "body", and are cognates of the modern German adjective "gleich" (=same, equal) and the modern Dutch "gelijk".
Originally, 'like' meant "to please" or "to be pleasing to" - in which case "the music likes me" would mean roughly what "I like the music" means today. The word 'like' could be used in this way well into the 17th Century.
As a preposition used in comparisons
Like is one of the words in the English language that can introduce a simile (a stylistic device comparing two dissimilar ideas) as in, "He eats like a pig". It can also be used in non-simile comparisons such as, "He has a toy like hers".
As a conjunction
Like is often used in place of the subordinating conjunction as or as if. Examples:
- They look like they don't want to go to school.
- They look as if they don't want to go to school.
Many people became aware of the two options in 1954, when a famous ad campaign for Winston cigarettes introduced the slogan "Winston tastes good — like a cigarette should." The slogan was criticised for its usage by prescriptivists, the "as" or "as if" construction being considered more proper. Winston countered with another ad, featuring a woman with greying hair in a bun who insists that ought to be "Winston tastes good as a cigarette should" and is shouted down by happy cigarette smokers asking "What do you want — good grammar or good taste?"
The appropriateness of its usage as a conjunction is still disputed, however. In some circles it is considered a faux pas to use like instead of as or as if, whereas in other circles as sounds stilted.
As a verb
Generally as a verb like refers to a fondness for something or someone. Example:
- I like traveling.
Like can be used to express a feeling of attraction between two people, weaker than love and distinct from it in important ways. Examples:
- Dorian likes Jillian.
As a noun
Like can be used as a noun meaning "preference" or "kind". Examples:
- We'll never see the like again.
- She had many likes and dislikes.
In slang and colloquial speech
The word like has developed several non-traditional uses in informal speech. These uses of like are commonly associated with Valley girls in pop culture, as made famous through the song "Valley Girl" by Frank Zappa, released in 1982, and the film of the same name, released the following year. The stereotyped "valley girl" language is an exaggeration of the variants of California English spoken by younger generations.
