Sort of  The phrase sort of is almost always logically
unnecessary, especially when it’s used to hedge a direct
statement. Most sentences that contain sort of would benefit
from its removal.  There are exceptions, though. Sort of can be
a synonym of type of, and it’s also useful for signaling that
what follows is not to be taken literally. And of course,
sometimes there’s nothing wrong with hedging a direct statement,
such as when the speaker feels ambivalent about what he or she
is saying.   In the following cases, sort of is somewhat
justifiable because its hedging is useful either to blunt
something harsh or to signal that what follows is not exactly
true:  For modern-day residents and business owners in the same
waterfront area, Hoboken has become a sort of hell. [The Star-
Ledger]  I slept in the field, in a sort of wooden tent covered
in tarps and heated by a small wood stove. [Montreal Gazette]
And there’s nothing wrong with using sort of as a synonym of
type of, as these writers do:  So what sort of p