More words that are easy to confuse.

Oral/ Aural          

The adjective oral means having to do with the mouth. So oral surgery refers to a method to cure dental and related problems.  Oral also signifies something done by speaking rather than by writing, as in an oral exam or oral agreement. Anthropologists sometimes discuss an oral literary tradition, involving societies that do not write things down. Aural is also an adjective, but means having to do with the ear or the sense of hearing. Students prefer to prepare for exams at the library where it is quiet, rather than at home, where there is too much aural stimulus, or noise. To remember which of these words refers to the mouth and which one to the ear, it may be useful to invent a little story. The word oral, starting with the letter o, may make us think of the shape of the mouth when it makes a surprised exclamation. That can help us remember than the word dealing with matters relating to the mouth begins with the letter o, oral. Here are some usage examples:

• For playing games on the go on Apple iOS phones or tablets and never losing any of the explosive aural effects, Razer Kraken Mobile over-ear headphones are a huge leap forward. The extra-large “circum-aural” ear cushions get you fully immersed in the audio experience.
• Of course, if aural assault isn’t what you’re looking for, just ease the vibration control back down.
• You can keep all the visual and aural appeal of your CDs without the hassle of a bulky music collection, and without turning to the computer all the time.
• Music is an aural experience, and it’s essential to learn it that way.
• The audience’s aural and visual perception went further than appreciating the coherence of the dancers moving in space in accordance with the music in the hues of lights.
• Facing the stage and seated just in front of the audience’s first row was multi-instrumentalist Billy Leong whose rendition on Chinese, Japanese and Korean instruments, coupled with other soundscapes on his laptop computer, added aural texture to the production.
• Having focused on the confectionery and oral care business, Thai Jintan is now looking to expand to other product segments that its parent firm in Japan is involved in – healthcare, skincare and personal care.
• According to the Doping Hearing Panel, chaired by Rune Bard Hansen, established to consider Ratchanok’s case, triamcinolone acetonide was prohibited in competition under the 2016 WADA Prohibited Substance List when administered orally, intravenously, or intramuscularly.
• Simply put, the combined 13-hour oral presentations by their respective legal teams have brought out the best in Thai resiliency as never before seen.
• The awful truth about oral hygiene and the ills it treats – a dentist speaks out.

Attain/ obtain

The verb attain means to achieve something or to reach something. The roots of the word are from the Latin, meaning to touch. Usually people who attain something have worked hard to do so. It is not an easy thing that just happens. The verb obtain means to get or acquire something. We can obtain something by just buying it. It is not necessary to work hard for it. Some usage examples:

• The GTdee programme provides high-potential Thai technical students the chance to attain both practical and theoretical knowledge and skills at the same level as students in Germany.
• The most important was that the Buddha never gave the impression to his followers that he was imposing leadership on them. He wanted maintain that there was the possibility to his followers to attain the same heights and become his equals.
• He added governments needed to reform regulations to attain reciprocal benefits among Asean members, while professional associations needed to expedite the creation of a regional certification framework under the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).
• With a greater need for internationally recognised qualifications, programmes introduced at Regent’s International College are aimed at enhancing current offerings in Thailand and to give students the chance to attain world-class qualifications.
• According to Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, every Malaysian student must attain six key attributes – knowledge, thinking skills, leadership skills, bilingual proficiency, ethics, and spirituality and national identity.
• The payments are on top of their salaries, with authorities believing for a long time that these teachers have attained a level of expertise.
• Indian religions value detachment so much because their primary goal is to attain a state of inner fulfilment.
• The petition will include four demands: a new public information law that allows relatives of victims to obtain detailed information about malpractice from hospitals at fault without conditions; a new independent body to openly study medical treatments in question and to identify mistakes made; the setting up of a government-sponsored fund to compensate victims of maltreatment in both state and private hospitals; and the inclusion of all medical mistakes in curriculum in medical schools and in all public information services.
• Kanokporn decided to study the use of light, and went on to obtain a master’s degree in the science of light and lighting at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.
• “Diving businesses will still have to obtain the usual tour operator licence, which is valid for two years. However, we will also do an annual equipment and safety check,” Santi noted.
• All required documents will be processed in Thailand so workers do not have to return to Laos to obtain them.
• He said immigration officials had also warned people departing that they must obtain a proper visa if they want to come back.
• The users, especially the young, will obtain useful information about the diseases and learn the value of eating properly cooked fish, which they can pass on to others, she said.
• Arkhom said the project would obtain the engineering procurement and construction model, but would be divided into two parts – civil engineering works, and rolling stock and signalling system.
• Laotian coffee prepares to obtain geographical indication. Laos has some of the required legislation to obtain the geographical recognition, notably the Intellectual Property Law dating from 2008, but the government is waiting for the required implementation regulations to be approved to allow for GI protection to be in place, as the first essential step for Laotian GI protection and promotion abroad.

To better keep in mind the difference between the words attain and obtain, it may help to visualize the first letter in the word obtain as a zero, instead of a letter o. That may help us recall that it is possible to obtain something with zero effort, just getting it somehow, while to attain something means to strive and finally achieve it, like the top of a mountain.

Staff/ staffer

The noun staff refers to all the employees of an office or company. It is another way of saying workers. In Thai English, the plural of the word staff is often used, but staffs is not accepted standard English, unless we are discussing the staff in one company plus the staff in another company, meaning different complete sets of workers. If in doubt, it is better to use the word workers rather than staff, to avoid this common problem. The noun staffer means a single employee from an entire staff. In Thai English, the word staff is also sometimes used to describe a single employee, but this is not standard or accepted English. Instead, to refer to one worker, it is better to use the word employee or staffer. Usage examples:

• Thai Airways International plans to trim more staff this year to stop the financial bleeding.
• Banks’ branch staff fewer in number, higher in skills.
• Software that can spot if staff is quitting.
• Regarding the pledge that Nation Multimedia Group (NMG) editorial staff made to the public on January 14 – that a good media requires good shareholders – and our pledge to perform our work in an honest and fair manner while maintaining our professionalism by watching over Thai society with honour and pride, we would like to reiterate that we seek to carry out our duties without fear or favour.
• Polling staff are assigned to provide instruction on voting ballot to voters as well as to explain and simplify questions on the ballot.
• Clinton staffers have since been cruising the streets looking for Pokemon hunters, hoping to divert their attention for the few minutes it takes to register to vote.
• When the staff member asked for written approval, the supervisor just ignored this and forced the staffer to do this without further explanation. Several repeat requests of this nature were so stressful for the staff member that without a channel to raise the matter, the staffer resigned from the company without giving any reason.
• To enable this, the Text to Speech Engine program is installed, to indicate the windows on blind staffers’ computer screens.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)