Making statements less direct: a bit, sort of, kind of
Softener + adjective/description
It's not really what I expected.
Is it kind of expensive?
💡 Softeners make statements less absolute and more conversational. Very common in spoken English.
✓The movie was a bit boring.
✗The movie was boring.
'A bit' softens the criticism.
✓I kind of like it.
✗I like it.
'Kind of' shows mild or uncertain approval.
✓It's sort of complicated to explain.
✗It's complicated to explain.
'Sort of' makes the statement less absolute.