Kooyeen  +  328455 Mon, 12 Feb 07 11:28 PM Hi, from Longman Dict. of Contemporary English: a kind of (a) something -used to say that your description of something is not exact. Can I say... Mark's car is a kind of Ferrari F40, but I don't know what it is exactly. (It's not even a Ferrari, maybe) Mark'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) If both are ok, when someone says... I like Mark's car. It's a kind of Ferrari. ... 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? Thank you. Kooyeen Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005 Italy Senior Member 4,969 Parental Advisory / Explicit Posts

	CalifJim  +  328458 Mon, 12 Feb 07 11:35 PM when someone says... I like Mark's car. It's a kind of Ferrari. ... 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? When I hear them, they mean a type of Ferrari.  If I want to use some very informal expression meaning "similar to a Ferrari but it could be something else", I say It's kind of like a Ferrari.  (kina lika F...) CJ CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,399 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

	Kooyeen  +  328473 Tue, 13 Feb 07 12:53 AM Thanks a lot, I like that "kinda like". As for "kind of", do you think we can't use it that way just because "Ferrari" is too specific? Examples: It's a kind of Ferrari... (kind = type) --- It's a Ferrari, it's not just something similar to a Ferrari. Ferrari is a brand name, it's too specific. It's a kind of car... --- It could also be something similar to a car, some strange vehicle. Car is more generic than Ferrari. It's a kind of house... --- Same as the previous example, "house is generic, this sentence could be used to describe something similar to a house. It's a kind of egg... --- Same as above, "egg" is generic, this sentence could be used to describe something similar to an  egg, for example something shaped like an egg. Does that make sense a little? Otherwise, it'll be too confusing I think... Thanks. Kooyeen

	CalifJim  +  328507 Tue, 13 Feb 07 02:55 AM As for "kind of", do you think we can't use it that way just because "Ferrari" is too specific? No.  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". I don't accept, for example, any of the following as sensible remarks. A bus is a kind of car. A movie is a kind of opera. A giraffe is a kind of horse. A computer is a kind of typewriter. A vacuum cleaner is a kind of broom. A whale is a kind of fish. A camera is a kind of eye. Adding a doesn't seem to help.  This isn't a turn of phrase that I personally use. A bus is a kind of a car. A movie is a kind of an opera. Etc. And I do accept the following as sensible. A penguin is a kind of bird. A Ferrari is a kind of car. A whale  is a kind of mammal. A motel is a kind of hotel. A biography is a kind of literature. In short, I believe I'd have to say that I disagree with the definition you presented in the original post! CJ CalifJim Literature

	Kooyeen  +  328893 Tue, 13 Feb 07 10:21 PM Thanks. So, you wouldn't say either of these are ok, would you? Englishforums is a kind of huge classroom where every day thousands of students try to improve their English. (Notice this is not really a classroom) The shape of a human head is a kind of egg. (Notice it's shaped like an egg, but it's not an egg) Thank you. Kooyeen

	nona the brit  +  328930 Tue, 13 Feb 07 11:44 PM You are confusing 'a kind of' with 'kind of like a'. These two phrases mean different things. A kind of - a subsect or example of a group. A robin is a kind of bird. Kind 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 slightly, almost. Example: mum says 'have you tidied your bedroom?' Kid says 'kind of'. Mum then knows that a tiny bit of effort has been made but the room is still a mess. Then 'like a'= similar to. Englishforums is a kind of huge classroom where.... this sentence is ok because actually, Englishforums is sort of a type of giant online classroom. You couldn't say that Englishforums is a kind of boarding school, because there the difference is too great, it clearly is not a boarding school. But it has teachers, and learners, all meeting together in one place, so classroom seems fine. The shape of a human head is kind of like the shape of an egg (similar to the shape of an egg). nona the brit Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004 England Veteran Member 11,713 The name says it all.

	Kooyeen  +  329362 Wed, 14 Feb 07 06:45 PM Hi,  Nona The Brit wrote: You are confusing 'a kind of' with 'kind of like a'. These two phrases mean different things.  yes, 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 mistake in my English then! Thank you for helping me understand English better. Kooyeen