Kind of and Rather or
Somewhat - Mixed messages and misused words from A to Z
Is it OK to say something is kind of true? How about sort
of accurate? Not really, at least in good writing. It’s better to
choose rather or somewhat.
This is one of those cases in which slang has crept into
daily usage. It’s one thing to use kind of or sort of, meaning rather
or somewhat, in storytelling, dialogue, and scriptwriting. In such cases, the word choices add to characterization of the speakers.
It’s even permissible in poetry or songwriting, where writers may deliberately break rules for creative effect.
But pros won’t do it in prose. It would be rather
wrong and somewhat sloppy. And don’t even ask about kinda or sorta.
Image/s:
Misused word pair
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Abused and misused word graphics
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I totally agree. I notice this all the time and it bugs me so much, even though I do it myself. I use "kind of" so much and I try not to but it's such a habit now. I also say "like" in pretty much ever sentence. Especially story telling. It's ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteI do that all the time, bad, bad, bad writer. Thanks for the lesson and I will somewhat be aware of it from now on ;)
ReplyDeleteBut what if something is only kind of somewhat true, or barely sort of somewhat accurate? Then I would get technical and say that I am kinda/sorta down wi dat.
ReplyDeleteSurely something can't be rather or somewhat true? It may be partly true though! I use 'kind of' in dialogue- because that's what people tend to say.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of bad at using kind of. Except I usually go even worse and use kinda. But I can usually delete it out of my more professional writing. ;)
ReplyDeleteA good point. Informal language in narrative tends to bother me when reading. I can handle it in dialogue, but if it occurs in narrative, I'm not a fan. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeletevisiting from A to Z.
tantusamorscribendi.blogspot.com
Huh! Interesting tidbit that I wasn't really aware of. Thanks for point it out.
ReplyDeleteHave fun with a-z.
I guess it all depends on which character is doing the speaking.
ReplyDeletehttp://joycelansky.blogspot.com
That's quite interesting! I always use 'kind of' even in writing, but now that I know, I'll keep a look out for it!
ReplyDeleteVictoria from Always a Booklover