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Kooyeen Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

a kind of a

0 Hi, 02br
01a00from Longman Dict. of Contemporary English: 01b01i00a kind of (a) something02i02b02a00 -00 00used to say that your description of something is not exact00.02br
02br
00Can I say...02br
00Mark's car is a kind of Ferrari F40, but I don't know what it is exactly. (It's not even a Ferrari, maybe)02br
00Mark's car is a kind of a Ferrari F40, but I don't know what it is exactly. (It's not even a Ferrari, maybe)02br
02br
00If both are ok, when someone says...02br
00I like Mark's car. It's a kind of Ferrari.02br
00... do they mean it's a a Ferrari (a type of Ferrari) or that it's similar to a Ferrari but may be something else?02br
02br
00Thank you.02br
05002br
02br
00 010id1
  

Top answer

12br 10 I like Mark's car. 12br 10 ... 12br 12blockquote 10When I hear them, they mean a type of Ferrari.

— CalifJim

  • 12br 10 I like Mark's car.
  • 12br 10 ...
  • 12br 12blockquote 10When I hear them, they mean a type of Ferrari.
  • )02br 02br 00 CJ0-
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8 Answers
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0 01blockquote
00when someone says...12br
10 I like Mark's car. It's a kind of Ferrari.12br
10 ... do they mean it's a a Ferrari (a type of Ferrari) or that it's similar to a Ferrari but may be something else?12br
12blockquote
10When I hear them, they mean a type of Ferrari. If I want to use some very informal expression
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0 Thanks a lot, I like that "kinda like".02br
02br
00As for "kind of", do you think we can't use it that way just because "Ferrari" is too specific? Examples:02br
02br
01b01i01u00It's a kind of Ferrari...02u00 02i02b00(kind = type) --- It's a Ferrari, it's not just something similar to a Ferrari. Ferrari
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0 01blockquote
00As for "kind of", do you think we can't use it that way just because "Ferrari" is too specific?12blockquote
10No. I don't think the level of specificity or generality has anything to do with it. I take "kind of" literally unless it is followed by "like".02br
02br
00 I don't accept, for example, any of the following
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0 Thanks.02br
02br
00So, you wouldn't say either of these are ok, would you?02br
02br
00EnglishForward is a kind of huge classroom where every day thousands of students try to improve their English. (Notice this is not really a classroom)02br
00The shape of a human head is a kind of egg. (Notice it's shaped like an egg, but it's not an egg)02
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0You are confusing 'a kind of' with 'kind of like a'. These two phrases mean different things.02br
02br
00A kind of - a subsect or example of a group. A robin is a kind of bird.02br
02br
00Kind of like a - somewhat similar to - A robin is kind of like a sparrow, but with a red chest. In this phrase 'kind of' = I agree 90% with what follows, I agree slightl
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0 Hi,01blockquote
01cite10Nona The Brit12cite10You are confusing 'a kind of' with 'kind of like a'. These two phrases mean different things. 12br
12br
12blockquote
10yes, I'm definitely confusing those two! I felt I could be using those expressions incorrectly, so I asked here. Well, I think I just corrected another
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0beutifull like a fery0-
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0

When I write a letter about someone e.g.

Dear John

re: Bill Smith

Should the 'r' in the word 're' (as a shortened form of 'regarding' be a capital R or just a small-case r?

Thanks.

Riordan Saunders

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