This paper distinguishes between two major functions of LIKE as a highlighting or focusing device in Scottish English. The one with clause-final LIKE is concerned with countering objections and assumptions and is only found in spontaneous conversation. Elsewhere, LIKE elucidates previous comments and relates to the game-task moves of instructing, aligning and checking. Previous accounts of LIKE in descriptive English grammars are considered as incomplete or operating with a vague analytical concept. The paper also contributes to the discussion of syntactic differences between informal spoken language and written language.