ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sort of sth

fixed phr..
A2 Elementary Oxford

fixed phr.. you use this when you want to say that something is partly true, or when you cannot find the exact word for something.

fixed phr.. a pragmatic marker used to indicate a degree of approximation or to soften a statement; functions as a hedge to reduce the precision or force of the following noun or adjective.


SIMPLE

It's sort of a blue color, but a bit darker.

CONTEXTUAL

I felt sort of tired after the meeting, so I decided to go home early.

COMPLEX

The architecture is sort of a hybrid between modern minimalism and traditional gothic styles, which creates a striking visual contrast.

Usage

often used in informal speech to make a description less direct or certain.

Teaching tip

teach this alongside 'kind of' as an interchangeable synonym; explain that in fast speech, it often sounds like 'sorta'.

Pitfall

It is a sort of a car.It is a sort of car.do not repeat the article 'a' after 'sort of' when it already appears before 'sort'.

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