| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| you know |
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| is a perfectly Standard subject and verb combination when used either to wring the full meaning out of the verb, as in Of course you know her; you met her last month, or as a relaxed, informal way to assume agreement in a conversation, as in You know, I really enjoyed tonight’s concert. The problem with you know arises only in the spoken language, when the phrase becomes a filler, cropping up several times in even short bits of conversation. It smacks of chewing gum, empty-headedness, and teenaged callowness and inexperience, but far too many adults have let it become a kind of tic in their speech too. If you’re infected, cure yourself quickly. It’s hard to take seriously anything delivered against a refrain of you knows. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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