Today's Writing Tip Is Kind of Sort of Important

It's become fashionable to use words like "kind of" and "sort of" as modifiers. I'm not sure why that's the case, but perhaps it's because using these words softens what comes next. For example, I often hear radio speakers saying that they are "sort of disappointed" or the subject was "kind of complex."

I don't like these terms. I think if you're going to speak your mind, just do it. Say you're disappointed instead of sort of disappointed—it has much more impact; it's direct, and it's clear. Clean writing, and speaking for that matter, is enjoyable to read.