Kind of means type or sort: What kind of music do you like? In conversation it has a second meaning, a bit or somewhat: I'm kind of tired. People use it to soften an opinion so they don't sound too blunt; in texts it's written kinda.
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what kind of + noun; this/that kind of + noun; all kinds of + noun; kind of + adjective/verb (informal: a bit, sort of)
- What kind of music do you usually listen to when you work?
- This kind of job needs a lot of patience and good communication skills.
- I'm kind of tired after the trip, so let's stay in tonight.
What changed
First versionThe market sells all kind of things, from fresh bread to old books.
RevisionThe market sells all kinds of things, from fresh bread to old books.
After all you need the plural: all kinds of things, literally things of every type, so all sorts of things. All kind of is a mistake that's easy to miss when you hear it, but in writing it stands out at once.
Sort of means the same, and in British speech you hear it even more often: I'm sort of busy right now. In an essay, neither kind of nor sort of works in the sense of a bit: write rather or slightly.
Your turn
— Did you like the film? — It was ___ boring, to be honest, but the ending was good.
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kind of — Here kind of softens the adjective boring: the film was a bit boring. A kind of goes before a noun when you're talking about a type: a kind of fruit. No article is needed before an adjective.
Tell a friend about your new job or course. Soften your opinion with kind of and name something you like.
The new job is kind of stressful, but I really like my team.
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