And so I was like, "No way!" And he went, "Way!" [View All]

[TXlib]

Another grammatical pet peeve:

People who use 'like' and 'went' when they mean 'said'.

Especially in writing. I'll let it slide in informal conversation, but not in formal discussion, or writing.

I taught a writing class for several years, and I always had to explain to the students that poor (or lazy) grammar, to most people, signifies poor education.

Same thing with strong regional dialects; I feel you need to make an effort to speak in the Standard American Dialect in formal/business situations.

On Edit, for clarification:
I have no problem with people speaking conversationally in informal conversations -- people should not sound like books all the time -- but in a business setting or other professional setting, I think excessive use of local colloquialism and contemporary slang creates an unprofessional image.