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Step 1
Know that "kind of" and "sort of" are wishy-washy ways of conveying a message and are used when writers and speakers are not confident about what they are communicating.
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Step 2
Restrict the use of "kind of" and "sort of" to mean "a subcategory or species of." For example, "the sparrow is a kind of bird" (a variety of).
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Step 3
Place the person or things you refer to in a category when you use "kind of" or "sort of" as in, "She is like the kind of writer we need," (referring to a category and she is an example of someone in that category), not, "She is the kind of writer we need," (incorrect). Here the person is referred to specifically in the subject, and the category is referred to in the predicate.
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Step 4
Avoid these words and you will avoid their misuse. Many times these words just take up space anyway.
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Step 5
Study a few more examples here of ways to avoid "kind of" and "sort of." "The dolphin is a kind of mammal" (a variety), or "she is the leader we need (specific person not category)". "She is the kind of leader we need" is not correct, as a specific person is referred to as category. "She is like the kind of leader we need" is correct, as we are referring to a category, and she is one in that category.
