sort of staff

USAGE SUMMARY

"sort of staff" is a grammatically correct phrase that can be used in written English.
It is typically used to refer to a group or team of people who work together, but may not necessarily have specific roles or responsibilities. Example: The teachers at our school are divided into different departments, but we also have a sort of staff council that meets once a month to discuss school-wide issues.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

11 human-written examples

Is this sort of staff common for quadriplegics who can afford it?

The New York Times

But the lessons may be more mundane, to do with providing them with the right sort of staff and resources.

The Economist

Until recently, the Times had resisted making the sort of staff cuts that have decimated newsrooms all over America.

The New Yorker

By the way, I think there's some curiosity about, just, what sort of staff do you manage now?

The New York Times

4.30pm GMT How confident is he that this sort of staff bullying tactic didn't go beyond this incident?

The Guardian

This sort of staff is crooked at one end, and is called lituus; they make use of it in quartering out the regions of the heavens when engaged in divination from the flight of birds; Romulus, who was himself a great diviner, made use of it.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

49 human-written examples

So, I think that those changes — the sort of staffing change, the people who are skeptical of the surge being elevated and the death of bin Laden, and the, sort of, rising chorus on the left and right, all combine to suggest that, you know, we're not going to have a hundred thousand troops in Afghanistan a year from now.

The New Yorker

Were there any sort of staffing changes that you made or certain production things that you can point to in terms of the Season 2 leap forward?

Huffington Post

The software subsidiaries of the big computer makers, for instance, charge about $400 a day for a programmer; experienced staff at IBM or the big global consultancies cost more than ten times this amount.That leaves the Japanese houses with no money for marketing or hiring the sort of experienced staff who might persuade their clients to pay more.

The Economist

A 2015 survey conducted by the Department of Education found that 43percentt of public schools employ some sort of security staff, and that 28percentt have "sworn law enforcement officers routinely carrying a firearm".

Vice

His trust's struggle to hire salaried staff was so acute that it was paying £1.5m a month to employment agencies for supplying all sorts of temporary staff, Hopkins added.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "sort of staff", ensure it's clear whether you're referring to the type, quality, or a general group of staff. Provide context to avoid ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "sort of staff" when a more specific description is possible. Replace with terms like "skilled employees" or "dedicated team" for greater clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "sort of staff" functions as a qualifier combined with a noun. It serves to broadly categorize or describe the personnel involved in a particular context. As noted by Ludwig, it is considered grammatically correct.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

72%

Science

18%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "sort of staff" is a grammatically sound way to generally describe a group of employees or workers, as confirmed by Ludwig. While it is frequently used in news and media, and occasionally in scientific and academic writing, clarity is paramount. To enhance precision, especially in professional contexts, consider replacing it with more descriptive terms like "skilled employees" or "dedicated team". Its function is to provide a broad category of staff without detailing specific roles. The neutral tone means that "sort of staff" can be used across multiple registers as long as the writing provides sufficient context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

kind of personnel

Substitutes "sort" with "kind", emphasizing the nature or type of staff.

type of employees

Replaces "staff" with "employees", focusing on their role as workers.

group of workers

Emphasizes the collective aspect using "group", and specifies "workers".

team of associates

Highlights the collaborative nature with "team" and uses a more formal term, "associates".

collection of aides

Suggests a less structured arrangement with "collection" and refers to "aides".

certain personnel

Uses "certain" to indicate a specific, though unspecified, group of staff.

some employees

Replaces "sort of" with "some", indicating an unspecified number of employees.

a few staff members

Indicates a small quantity with "a few", and clarifies with "staff members".

some level of staffing

Focuses on the level or extent of staffing, rather than the specific staff members.

approximate workforce

Highlights the estimated size of the workforce, using "approximate".

FAQs

What does "sort of staff" mean?

The phrase "sort of staff" generally refers to a group of individuals working together, but it might lack specific details about their roles or the nature of their work. It implies a general or approximate description rather than a precise one.

How can I use "sort of staff" in a sentence?

You can use "sort of staff" to describe the composition of a team or department when the exact roles are less important than the collective effort. For example, "The project requires a "sort of staff" with diverse backgrounds and skills."

What are some alternatives to using "sort of staff"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "kind of personnel", "type of employees", or "group of workers". Choose the phrase that best reflects the specific meaning you intend to convey.

When is it best to avoid using the phrase "sort of staff"?

It's best to avoid using "sort of staff" when you need to provide a precise description of the team's composition or the individual roles within it. In such cases, be more specific about the types of roles or the specific skills of the staff members.