摘要：不定件词a/an也有不定之义，如同汉语的“某”, 有some感。因为some kind的不确信(或不自信)就让人怀疑有偏离genuine kind，于是口语中a kind of便有 something like or similar to something

a kind of的正统含义便是一种，如

【例句1】The bald eagle is a kind of bird. （秃鹰是一种鸟类。）

【例句2】An iPhone is a kind of smartphone. (iPhone是一种智能手机。)

不定件词a/an也有不定之义，如同汉语的“某”, 有some感。因为some kind的不确信(或不自信)就让人怀疑有偏离genuine kind，于是口语中a kind of便有 something like or similar to something else，如

【例句3】The vines formed a kind of roof. （藤蔓形成了一种屋顶。）

【例句4】I used a folded newspaper as a kind of hat to keep the rain off. （我用一张折叠的报纸当帽子挡雨。）

【例句5】Bill is serving as a kind of helper or assistant on this project. （比尔在这个项目上相当于是助手或助理。）

【例句6】It was so sunny during the graduation ceremony that I had to use my program as a kind of visor! （毕业典礼上阳光明媚，我不得不用我的程序册当遮阳板！）

【例句7】I had to use the block of wood as a kind of hammer to get the loose nail back into place. （我不得不把那块木头当作锤子，把松动的钉子砸回原位。）

【例句8】I had a kind of feeling this might happen. (我有某种感觉，这可能会发生。)[牛津高级学者辞典]

此用法虽然informal, 但是早在1590s就使用了。

the kind of的the之义相对稳定，即“认知定”，如

【例句9】I'm the kind of person who hates to do anything wrong. （我是那种讨厌做错事的人。）[牛津高级学者辞典]

【例句10】I'm not the kind of person to get married. （我不是那种结婚的人。） [柯林斯高级学者辞典]

来源：激情游戏吧