milychocs:



No, you stop it!!!!
Freaking is wrong, iand being rude is worse

Live and let live
The Golden Rule

There is no prize for "knowing"good English
But I would totally give someone my respect if he could speak three Nigerian languages, out of a hundred, or more, good Pidgin (so he reaches the common man) and passable English...or really good English but not uppity and "oh, I am so good at dear old English, and you are not".......

Which I notice is evident in your post

So how about you stop it....and now
Rant over
Cheers

What language are you speaking? Is it any Nigerian language, or even pidgin? So, by your own criteria, you wouldn't even respect yourself, would you. Stop excusing mediocrity.

I suppose because the Internet was invented in America, you would have no problem paying a Nigerian web designer to build you a website that didn't work. "Cuz it's the slave man's invention."

You are a fool, and you will never develop or improve.

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...

Keenysbojan:
I have been wondering why Nigerian students always use the word 'i was like ok' in every of their saying... I found it difficult to believe that 'i was like ok' is a correct short sentence, in English...

because I have sat down and think about this all over and over and over,and through research I found that there is no short sentence in English, like 'i was like ok'.. but some Nigerians are so terrible when it comes to the aspects of speaking or writing standard English...

A student of unilorin came to meet my big bro at home,and he said I have been trying your number since I left Lagos and I WAS LIKE OK LET ME CALL YOUR YOUNGER BROTHER TO CONFIRM..

immediately,I felt the 'spirit of bad English' in what he said above... since then I have been searching,I have been asking those who are highly educated and those who study English in universities.. if the use of I WAS LIKE OK is good to speak..

to nairelanders do any of you have anything to say about this topic... share your own points of view and let some 'BAD English speaker(s)' learn from you.. thanks

Yours Faithfully
k e e n y s b o j a n

and you started a paragraph with because?

@poster u also made some grammatical blunders .which is worse than I was like. I was like, okay is an informal statement which is quite appropriate in as much as you don't get so used to it and use it in a formal environment,i.e while addressing a group of learned people or writing an essay.

Another one they use indiscriminately is 'as in...'
Examples:
As in my name is Ebony
As in the guy toast me, and i'm like...

Good

GozieDiora:
The expression is not formal and not popular outside Nigeria but until a set rules is used to prove that it is wrong, it remains right. This is the law of linguistic variation and dialectology. This expression when written appears as, "I was like....... ok,...". And that goes a long way to explain that it is only found in spoken English (as against written English) and thus qualifies as acceptable given the fact that disjointed speeches are not uncommon in spoken language. While talking, one could say, "Stella Obasanjo was killed by...... well I don't know. Let me not say what I don't know". Now, what makes the subject matter peculiar is the fact that it has become, more or less, a regular expression.

Here is a more academic explanation for fellow linguists:

The word. 'like' is expected to be followed by a noun or a pronoun. Example: "I was like a king in my class then". However, while in conversation, it is not abnormal for the speaker to have difficulty choosing the right word (mostly nouns) to use to explain a particular situation or action. Such a speaker might then have a brief pause (indicated by the ellipsis [...]) and then switch over to a phrasal explanation of the needed word (which normally starts with 'ok' to indicate resignation). Such break-and-continue pattern is very common even with native speakers and while writing direct speeches/quotations, they must be indicated in as much as they are not acceptable in written English.

Examples:

1) When he said he wouldn't marry her, I was like....... (can't pick the correct word here)........ ok, what are your reasons? (goes for an expression instead).

2) When I saw Mother Theresa crying, I was like....... (again can't pick the correct word here)........ Jeez, what could have made the Holy Mother so sad? (again, goes for an expression instead).

What is rather amazing is the way this expression is now employed as if it's some sort of phrasal verb or idiomatic expression even in well prepared speeches. But then, that's the nature of linguistic variation and, in case you do not know, this is how expressions originate in languages (linguistic growth).

So, OP, it is not totally wrong (acceptable in spoken English only) but abnormally popular.
Nice observation, though.

A nice day to you all.

kingingkinging:


Please whenever you want to prove a statement or sentence as a wrong one, always endeavour to make it expressly done, not a shallow work like this. What rule of semantics, concord, tense principle, lexis and structure, etc that proves the clause wrong?

The best you can do is to punctuate the clause for the person very well i.e ( When he said it, I was like, ok, let us go to my house' ). That is a complete sentence and it is reasonable. Well punctuated and succinct. But the man or woman in question made a verbal expression , so, your opinion, to me, on this, is irrelevant.

You have only successfully created an unnecessary thread. What is wrong there?

Some sentences are correct provided they are used colloquially only ie. verbally and informally but people tend to say they are wrong even when they don't have a proof on that.

You cannot be a better Christian than Jesus please. Even the brit use words that are informal when they are applicable.

Well said!

iheneme:
Another one they use indiscriminately is 'as in...'
Examples:
As in my name is Ebony
As in the guy toast me, and i'm like...

mdr

pimplucious:
...

Rolling on the floor

MissMeiya:


What language are you speaking? Is it any Nigerian language, or even pidgin? So, by your own criteria, you wouldn't even respect yourself, would you. Stop excusing mediocrity.

I suppose because the Internet was invented in America, you would have no problem paying a Nigerian web designer to build you a website that didn't work. "Cuz it's the slave man's invention."

You are a fool, and you will never develop or improve.

Ergo!
I rest my case
Ciao
Seriously, like, lol

CAMNEWTON4PRES:
mdr

prc

Make una sidon there dey argue because of one yeye foreign language wey no even know say una dey exist. #teampidginengRish

I WAS LIKE OK, MAKE I SHARPALY SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH JAMB APPLICANTS

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what kind of English do you expect from us that went to alagbole primary school. your elementary school determines the kind of English you speak outside, I cld remember in those days most of our teachers either speak their native language or they taught us their bad English. it is only when you get to the university that you brush up yourself. no matter how best we try, as a ghetto boy you can't speak good English like VI boy because that English is like he's mothers tongue, he can't even speak his native language for seconds without English. i used to combine "still yet" in my sentence before until i was corrected in the university that still and yet means the same and shldnt be used together in a sentence.BT for me I don't care as long as I can communicate.

Karleb:

What's there to explain?

"I was like, Ok" Is a grammatically correct sentence or statement or phrase or clause, but not a formal speech as in; you can't address a large crowd or the president or your VC with it because it's informal but grammatically correct! gerrit?

did you do sentence structure in school? I won't say no more.

Keenysbojan:
what course did you study in school?

Zoology.

Guys, Av u noticed that American English is different from British who is the real author. This is the same way they got theirs. Am really happy about the recent developments as in am like OK Nigeria is constructing hers. Next World Power .

Keenysbojan:
I have been wondering why Nigerian students always use the word 'i was like ok' in every of their saying... I found it difficult to believe that 'i was like ok' is a correct short sentence, in English...

because I have sat down and think about this all over and over and over,and through research I found that there is no short sentence in English, like 'i was like ok'.. but some Nigerians are so terrible when it comes to the aspects of speaking or writing standard English...

A student of unilorin came to meet my big bro at home,and he said I have been trying your number since I left Lagos and I WAS LIKE OK LET ME CALL YOUR YOUNGER BROTHER TO CONFIRM..

immediately,I felt the 'spirit of bad English' in what he said above... since then I have been searching,I have been asking those who are highly educated and those who study English in universities.. if the use of I WAS LIKE OK is good to speak..

to nairelanders do any of you have anything to say about this topic... share your own points of view and let some 'BAD English speaker(s)' learn from you.. thanks

Yours Faithfully
k e e n y s b o j a n

Brother! You just dey draw rain for your self.

From the piece you put up here, your command in English Language is not impressive either. I wanted to correct the grammar you used " I sat down AND think over and over and over", but then when I read further, I found it easier to score you 10% than attempt to point out all the grammatical errors in your write-up.
I leave you with this proverb: when you point an accusing finger at anybody, watch out! You have 3 of your fingers pointing back at you.

lol, even in England where u should expect correct english, they speak thrash just the accent mks up for it. ''i was like, init'' and all bullcrap so i don't really blame Nigerian students who say all these but Nigerians can overhype things and turn themselves to mumu

MissMeiya:




You are a fool, and you will never develop or improve.

IYANGBALI:
God bless you jare. Kiss kiss

You are welcome.

I checked your pix and you look irresistibly beautiful, why did you tempt me with kiss?

' O ya', receiveeeeee....

The phrase ' I was like' isn't just a nigerian thing, I remember a song, sung by Mariah Carey titled "why you so obsessed with me"
And in the intro of the above mentioned song, Mariah said 'and I was like why you so. Obsessed with me"?

They must have picked it up somewhere! Do research OP

and did I hear some1 say Americans speak good English than us. what most Americans speak is street language just like we speak pidgin here. if you want to kill them tell them to write composition for you that where you expose them.

kingingkinging:


You are welcome.

I checked your pix and you look irresistibly beautiful, why did you tempt me with kiss?

' O ya', receiveeeeee....

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,the thing sweet me o

I was like okay when I saw this post

It is not a complete statement but it can be used in a sentence. The main part of the phrase is "I WAS LIKE" and anything can come after e.g. OK, YEAH, SO...

FYI, its not a Nigerian English, it is universally correct and accepted.

teeghurl:
lol, even in England where u should expect correct english, they speak thrash just the accent mks up for it. ''i was like, init'' and all bullcrap so i don't really blame Nigerian students who say all these but Nigerians can overhype things and turn themselves to mumu

just like the op

u neva even jam anytin

d "i was like" or even "like" is just for emphasis
its to show hw serious wat dey r saying is or trying to put sumtin in quote...
e.g..u will see two pple conversing
A...i went to church today o
B...u went to church "like" went to church
*as if im no hear u d first tym*
probably A dnt attend mass nd B repeated "went to church" to emphasize dat A dnt attend mass so imagine d surprise..

anoder is
a handsome young man with swag,posh english accent with range rover walks up to a girl nd start up a chat.......................
now u will c hw d girl will narrate d story to her girlfrnd @ home...

girl....u nid to c d guy dat stopped me on d way today.as he was talking to me,i was just checking him out nd "i was like" OMG, hes so cute.....**hw can u b lyk God ni


d one way dey pain me pass is d...."lyk seriously"
a frnd of mine always use it evritime wen shes conversing with me

lyk seriously,chioma is mad..y will she come nd embarass me lyk dat because of 1000naira. i mean,seriously,wat is 1000,,seriously...Lyk seriously?chioma is nt going to lyk wat i will do to her when she comes back....................*wtf is dat*

buh seriously eh,,,,girls get beta probs.....lolzzzzzz*i don talk my own*

I guess its nigerian english cos wen I 1st heard it, 'I was like Oººk' wats dis?

Keenysbojan:
I have been wondering why Nigerian students always use the word 'i was like ok' in every of their saying... I found it difficult to believe that 'i was like ok' is a correct short sentence, in English...

because I have sat down and think about this all over and over and over,and through research I found that there is no short sentence in English, like 'i was like ok'.. but some Nigerians are so terrible when it comes to the aspects of speaking or writing standard English...

A student of unilorin came to meet my big bro at home,and he said I have been trying your number since I left Lagos and I WAS LIKE OK LET ME CALL YOUR YOUNGER BROTHER TO CONFIRM..

immediately,I felt the 'spirit of bad English' in what he said above... since then I have been searching,I have been asking those who are highly educated and those who study English in universities.. if the use of I WAS LIKE OK is good to speak..

to nairelanders do any of you have anything to say about this topic... share your own points of view and let some 'BAD English speaker(s)' learn from you.. thanks

Yours Faithfully
k e e n y s b o j a n

Your English is very very very bad