Softening Opinions: I Would Say / Sort Of / Kind Of

I would say the film was kind of disappointing, to be honest.

Notice

  • I would say the film was kind of disappointing.
  • It was sort of a strange experience, to be honest.
  • I’d say it’s probably worth trying, but I’m not completely sure.
  • The results were somewhat unexpected.

Rule

In more conversational register, I would say / I’d say softens an opinion, and sort of / kind of / somewhat soften an adjective or description, making a statement feel less blunt or absolute. These sit alongside the more formal hedging structures for a fuller B2 range across registers.

Practice

  1. Soften: ‘The food was bad.’ (kind of)
    Answer: The food was kind of bad.
  2. Soften: ‘I think the plan is risky.’ (I would say)
    Answer: I’d say the plan is a bit risky.
  3. Soften: ‘The meeting was useless.’ (sort of)
    Answer: The meeting was sort of useless.
  4. When is ‘kind of / sort of’ appropriate — formal or informal contexts?
    Answer: Informal, conversational contexts — not typically used in formal academic writing.

Connect

Practise softening opinions in a conversational register.

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CEFR: Spoken Interaction — express nuanced opinions naturally in everyday conversation.

Azizul Hakim
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