Replacement for the annoying habit of saying "I was like"
I am new here, so my first question would be to ask about an annoying habit that I, as well as many other people out there, seem to have...
During the telling of a story I will often say this one phrase: "I was like" (and I was like, "Don't be dumb, it's not weird to say it at all!").
I would really like to throw something into my brain that would replace this. I hate using this term, it disgusts me...
The way you have been using "I was like" means, in effect, "I said". So you just need to find some synonyms to replace this expression.
The most obvious synonym is the one I've just mentioned ("I said"), but there are plenty of other ways to put across the same idea that you can vary according to the circumstances you are describing. For instance:
I told them
I answered
I asked
I stated
I suggested
If you want more ideas, I'd recommend you to look for synonyms in a thesaurus. Besides the ones that exist in printed form, which you will probably be able to find in a public library or school library, you can consult one of the numerous online thesauruses like http://thesaurus.com/.
The phrase is very versatile. I'll provide the common alternatives. In general, you can either describe the action or act it out.
‘was like’ when it precedes an action.
I was like, ‘HAHAHAHAHAHA.’
I laughed maniacally.
I went HAHAHAHAHAHA. (Note it is colloquial if you do not follow ‘went’ with an onomatopoeia.)
I laughed, ‘HAHAHAHAHA.’
He was like. (starts waving arms around maniacally)
He waved his arms around maniacally.
He did this. (action follows)
‘was like’ when it precedes a thought.
I was like WTF.
I thought, WTF.
I was baffled.
‘was like’ when it precedes speech.
Erik Kowal has answered this. I'll have to add two things. Use an adverb if you want to be more precise. Shout is another useful one.