If the word like is a verb that means "fond of" or it is a preposition that compares, it is
being used correctly.
...I like being outdoors in the early morning.
...She likes chocolate.
...Like my mother, I have blue eyes.
...She is not like him in any way.
In ALL other contexts (including when it is trying to mean "around"), it is a thowaway,
means nothing, is more than annoying, and must have commas around it -- NO
exceptions.
...It was, like, after 4:00.
...We were, like, really busy tonight at, like, work.
...There were, like, five that, like, had to be, like, redone before, like, we could, like, use
them, like.
Happy punctuating!
Margie