Consider the following pair of sentences.

(i) I said, "That's awesome!"

(ii) I was like, "That's awesome!"

Does the sentence in (ii) break a descriptive rule or a prescriptive rule in English?

Question

Consider the following pair of sentences.

(i) I said, "That's awesome!"

(ii) I was like, "That's awesome!"

Does the sentence in (ii) break a descriptive rule or a prescriptive rule in English?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Let’s begin by restating what the question is asking: we’re comparing two sentences, (i) I said, "That's awesome!" and (ii) I was like, "That's awesome!" and asking whether the second sentence (ii) violates a descriptive rule or a prescriptive rule in English.

First, consider what a prescriptive rule is: it’s a rule about how language should be used according to formal standards or tradition. In many classrooms and grammar guides, the verb saying how one reports speech is treated differently from ordinary quotative verbs, and phrases like 'was like' can be flagged as nonstandard when used in place of direct reporting verbs such as 'said' or 'replied' in formal writing. In that sense, labeling (ii) as following or breaking a prescriptive rule hinges on whether the language etiquette disallows 'was like' as a quotative introduction in standard written English.

Now, turning to the option itself: 'Prescriptive rule.' This choice claims that sentence (ii) breaches a prescriptive norm. The reasoning is that 'was like' is often categorized as colloquial or informal speech rather than appropriate for formal writing, where 'I said, "That’s awesome!"' would be preferred. Therefore, from a prescriptive perspective, (ii) is flagged for not adhering to the stricter standard about reporting speech.

It’s worth contrasting this with a descriptive view. If one adopts descriptivist linguistics, (ii) reflects natural, everyday spoken usage and indicates how people actually speak in many dialects or registers. In such a view, (ii) would not be considered a violation but rather a common variant of quotative reporting. However, the question explicitly asks about a prescriptive rule, which is about normative ceiling on form rather than actual usage frequency.

Because the prompt provides only one option, the analysis centers on why that option is considered correct within a prescriptive framework. The core misconception to avoid here is treating prescriptive judgments as universal grammatical truth; instead, they represent recommended styles that can differ across contexts (academic writing vs. casual dialogue). This distinction helps explain why sentence (ii) might be judged to violate a prescriptive rule, while still being widely used in informal speech.

In summary, the reasoning supports viewing (ii) as an instance of a prescriptive rule being relevant: (ii) uses 'was like' as a quotative verb in a context where formal reporting of speech would typically require 'said' or another standard reporting verb. This aligns with prescriptive guidance that discourages certain informal quotatives in formal contexts. Note that a descriptive perspective would argue that (ii) accurately represents real-world language use, creating a tension between descriptive realism and prescriptive norms.

LIN204H5 S LEC9999 Summer 2025 F - Lecture Comprehension Check 1

Consider the following pair of sentences. (i) I said, "That's awesome!" (ii) I was like, "That's awesome!" Does the sentence in (ii) break a descriptive rule or a prescriptive rule in English?

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