LESSON 41
Phrases like kind of, sort of, and type of are often unnecessary in writing.
They are often used colloquially, which should be avoided in formal writing, and can also bog down your writing in extra words, which makes the meaning of your sentence less clear.
Let's take a look at an example:
Pitbulls and bulldogs are loyal to their owners. But these types of dogs are often misrepresented as vicious attack animals.
Pitbulls and bulldogs are loyal to their owners. But these dogs are often misrepresented as vicious attack animals.
Because the first sentence tells us which dogs we are talking about, we don't need to specify types of. The second sentence is clearer and easier to read.
When writing, it's important to be succinct. Verbose writing is not only difficult to read, it also eliminates clarity. Most of the time, you can cut these as unnecessary words:
- He is a dendrologist. This is a type of scientist who studies trees.
- He is a dendrologist. This is a scientist who studies trees.
However, sometimes these words do make things clearer. If there are no preceding sentences, or there are numerous types of the noun, saying type of or kind of may offer more specificity:
- The silkworm is a kind of moth, not a worm.
There are over 160,000 species of moths, so it makes sense to use the phrase kind of. That said, you can often use a more specific phrase instead:
- The silkworm is not a worm, but a species of moth.
You also need to consider whether using colloquial language is the right approach for your piece of writing.
Saying things like "I'm kind of hungry" is more of a colloquialism than proper English. When you're using formal writing, avoid these uses completely.
No matter what the style of writing, be aware that phrases like sort of can actually weaken your point. For example, he is sort of smart is weak and doesn't illustrate the point well.
Instead, provide a comparison for his intelligence (e.g. he's smart, but not as smart as Barbara) or state the fact decisively: he is smart. The only exception is if you are writing fiction and want to show that the character is hesitant, shy, or indecisive.
When deciding whether to eliminate extra words, ask yourself these questions:
- Is this being used colloquially?
- Could I rephrase my sentence to be clearer without it?
- Does the sentence make sense without these words?
- Do my preceding sentences offer clarity?
What Is “Such as”?
“Such as” is a phrase we use when we want to give examples or specify a particular subset of items or ideas. We often include it in both our spoken and written English to make our explanations more precise.
List of Synonyms for Such as
- For example
- For instance
- Like
- Including
- Namely
- Particularly
- Specifically
- To illustrate
- To name a few
- As an example
- As a case in point
- Especially
- Consider
- By way of illustration
- In particular
- As demonstrated by
- To give an example
- To cite an example
- To enumerate
- To exemplify
- To explain
- To indicate
- To point out
- To show
- To detail
- As shown by
- As evidenced by
- As revealed by
- As typified by
- As represented by
- As characterized by
- Among others
- Amongst which
- g. (exempli gratia)
- Such as
- In the case of
- With regards to
- Regarding
- With respect to
- As pertains to
- With reference to
- In respect to
- Concerning
- When it comes to
- In the context of
- As relates to
- As regards
- In terms of
- As far as … is concerned
- With consideration to
- When considering
- In light of
- With attention to
- As applies to
- As to
- With regard to
- Pertaining to
- In connection with
- As concerns
- Related to
- In the realm of
- With the likes of
- In the category of
- In the class of
- As part of
- Within the framework of
- Under the umbrella of
- In the form of
- In the nature of
- In the guise of
- As exemplified by
- As indicated by
- As suggested by
Types of Synonyms for Such as
Informal Usage
- Like
- Say
When listing examples, should you use such as or like? It seems like these terms are interchangeable, but there are subtle differences in the ways you use them. Keep reading to find several such as vs. like examples that make their meanings clearer.
The Difference Between Such As and Like
While they may seem interchangeable at first glance, such as and like have distinct meanings to be used in different contexts.
- like - makes a comparison between things with the same characteristics; similar to
- such as - used to introduce a specific example or examples
Such As: Meanings and Usage
The phrase such as is versatile in English. Such as can be used as an adjective or demonstrative pronoun, while as can function as a modifier or conjunction. When the words are put together, they can list examples or clarify.
Examples of Such As in a Sentence
If you are making a statement with examples attached, such as is a good choice. It indicates that your statement includes the following people or objects. Here are some examples of such as in a sentence.
- I love reading books by mystery authors, such as Agatha Christie and Stephen King.
- This dentist specializes in preventative treatments, such as sealants and semi-annual X-rays.
- Valentine’s Day gifts, such as chocolates or flowers, are a nice way to show that special someone how you feel.
- Perla enjoys musicals, such as The Phantom of the Opera, while her husband prefers scary movies.
Notice that you can use such as to introduce one, two or three examples. Four are acceptable if they are one-word examples. Anything more than that may affect your sentence’s flow.
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