VOA · Everyday Grammar
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Everyday Grammar digs into one grammar topic per episode — verb tenses, prepositions, sentence patterns — with plenty of spoken examples. Because you are listening to language about language, it doubles as grammar review while you train your ears.
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01This week on Everyday Grammar, we answer a question from Kyousuke, a loyal reader in Japan, who asks, I have a question about the article, When Colleges Close, Some Students Never Go Back.
02It reads, It kind of just saps your motivation to do anything.
03I was not able to understand the structure and meaning of this sentence.
04What is the subject, and what is the verb?
05Especially, I didn't realize the meaning of it kind of just.
06The story Kyousuke read told about how the University of the Arts in Philadelphia closed suddenly.
07That affected a lot of students.
08One first-year student there was unsure of his next steps.
09He said he did not know where to start looking for another place to study.
10Let us look at the structure of the statement first.
11It kind of just saps your motivation to do anything.
12The subject is it, a pronoun that refers to the school closing.
13The verb is sap, which means to use up the supply of something.
14We often use it to talk about reducing energy or strength.
15Here is an example.
16Waiting in the long line at the store sapped my energy.
17In the student's statement, the verb sap has a direct object, motivation.
18He is saying that he has less desire now to apply to other schools.
19The next part of the statement is kind of.
20This phrase is in the group of words we call qualifiers.
21A qualifier is a word, usually an adjective or adverb, that changes the meaning of another word or phrase.
22Some qualifiers strengthen the force of a statement, like very and to.
23Others weaken the force, like somewhat and seem.
24In his statement, the student uses kind of just before the verb sap to show he is not firmly saying that the event has had this effect.
25We can say he is hedging.
26A hedge in language is often a way to express uncertainty or reduce the force of a statement.
27For example, if you do not want to stay at a party, you might tell a friend, I'm kind of tired.
28Can we leave the party a little early?
29You are not saying you are very tired and need to leave immediately.
30You simply want to introduce the idea of leaving early.
31Using kind of is one way that speakers preserve their relationships with others.
32For example, a friend asks you if you like the band playing at an event.
33You might answer, Their music is okay, but it's kind of loud for me.
34You might think the music is much too loud or even bad, but if your friend likes it, you do not want to hurt their feelings.
35So you can hedge or protect their feelings by using kind of.
36Another part of the statement our reader asked about is the word just.
37It is also a qualifier.
38Just can change the meaning of the words that follow.
39In such a case, it can mean nothing more than or only.
40For example, if you are at an event with a friend, they might ask, Why do you keep checking the time?
41Aren't you enjoying the show?
42You might answer, I just don't want to miss the last bus.
43It's getting late.
44I hope this helps you understand the expression better, Kilski.
45Do you have a question about English grammar?
46Write to us at learningenglish at voanews.com.
47And that's Everyday Grammar.
48I'm Jill Robbins.
// transcribed with Whisper AI — reading it is easy; catching it by ear is the skill
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