You could catch a ball, hum a tune, stop at a red light — act exactly like a person but without any sense of what it is like to be alive.

She hummed her anger and quickly left.

Or a nurse, so I could be near him and help him," exclaimed Jo, with a groan.

Then the wife said, "Shut up!

If you're a person who uses fillers when you speak, such as "uh huh", "um", or phrases such as "like" or "you know", train yourself carefully not to use these when you speak on the phone.