More commonly confused words

Adopt/ adept/ adapt

The words adopt, adept, and adapt are examples of how short English words can sometimes pose more problems than longer ones. Looking extremely similar, except for the middle vowel, these words have very different meanings. They remind us that we must pay special attention when writing academic research papers and theses to avoid using the wrong letter, and making a sentence or paragraph confusing for the reader. The verb adopt means to take a person, animal, or thing, and raise it as if it were our own. Animal lovers urge prospective dog owners not to buy animals at pet stores, but to adopt a healthy dog from one of the many agencies available. Among dog shelters offering dogs to be adopted are WVS Care for Dogs Foundation; Pic-A-Pet4Home Bangkok; PAWS Bangkok; and Soi Dog Foundation. Used more generally, adopt can mean to take anything up or follow it. In literary contexts, we also see the verb adopt used to describe someone assuming a tone of voice or attitude. The word origins for adopt go back to Latin words meaning to choose for oneself or to select. From the verb adopt, the adjective adoptive developed, meaning having to do with adoption.

The adjective adept means skilful or talented at doing something. Less frequently seen is the word adept in noun form, referring to someone who is skilled at doing something. This usage can seem very literary so it is probably better avoided by students and ajarns who want to write plainly and clearly, without literary flourishes. The Latin roots for the adjective adept go back to a word meaning achieved or attained. This suggests that to be adept at something, we must have attained a level of skill, or achieved something.

The verb adapt means to change something to suit new developments. It derives from a Latin word meaning to fit. So if we adapt something, we change it to fit new circumstances. How can we keep apart all three words? One approach might be to create some sentences where the meanings of the different words remained clear, for example:

• The dog, adept at hunting, adapted to fishing after it was adopted by a fisherman.
• The students were not adept at the adapted lesson plan after it was adopted for the class by the ajarn.
• If we adopt a pet, we must be adept at adapting to its needs.

Here are some usage examples:

• Canines with a healthy appearance are trained for military missions, but Capt Saman says most of the good-looking ones are adopted by members of the local community. A shelter Facebook page, showcasing photos of each dog, was launched so outsiders can adopt them or donate money, he added. Under the seven-year scheme, stray dogs and cats will receive medical treatment, sterilisation and training, and prospective owners will have the opportunity to adopt them.
• Surin Krttayaphongphun, executive vice president of Bangkok Entertainment Co – the operator of Channel 3 said the station decided to adopt a social media strategy after learning that many brands were using social media to boost sales.
• Migrants from Myanmar are facing an uphill battle with Thai authorities to adopt the boy they have looked after for seven years.
• US pop superstar Madonna appeared in person at a court in the Malawian capital Lilongwe on Wednesday to apply to adopt two more local children, a court spokesman told AFP. Madonna, who runs a charity called Raising Malawi in the southern African nation, adopted Malawian children David Banda in 2006 and Mercy James in 2009.
• Advanced Info Service will adopt a new corporate slogan, “Digital for Thais”, on October 1 to reflect its direction to provide the full range of digital services nationwide.
• Airbnb, the home rentals website, said on Wednesday it would double its investment in China, triple its workforce there and adopt the name “Aibiying” in Chinese.
• The speed with which Internet-based technology is evolving and the alacrity with which various state and non-state actors are trying to leverage it for their own self-interests is baffling even to an advanced Web-based great power like America, not to mention less technically adept nations.
• Celebrities are adept at putting on whitening cream and fake smiles for cameras, but what do they know about silvaculture – the study and care of forest trees?
• Nevertheless, Algie is an increasingly confident and adept writer.
• The intense interest in Taamkru is drawing attention in Thailand’s |blossoming technology start-up scene, where investors are homing in on a market supported by a smart-phone-adept middle class familiar with e-commerce.
• A super-heavyweight who is as adept with a paintbrush as he is with boxing gloves plans more crowd-pleasing antics after he bulldozed his way into the Rio Olympics final on Friday.
• But that’s Ang Lee for you, one of the rare filmmakers adept at both embracing and enhancing a story’s literary origins with measured spectacle.
• Thai small and medium-sized enterprises must adapt and increase their competitiveness if they want to cash in on the opportunities presented by the changes in the global economy and the upcoming Asean Economic Community (AEC).
• Challenged by new media, print media should turn this crisis into an opportunity to accept the change and adapt marketing strategy to engage with target audiences and retain their loyalty, a seminar heard yesterday.
• Major economic powers will likely see sluggish economies with extended volatility on unclear solutions to their prolonged economic crises, while Thailand should aim its economic restructuring to adapt to services and tourism.
• A “demand side” approach to innovation involves user-driven creation of new products, including adapting existing technologies to local needs and constraints.
• Amway ready to adapt as consumers delay buying.
• Exhibition space director Sogabe, who has designed everything from schools and broadcasting centres to private residences, says he prefers the section showing how everyday items can be adapted for use in times of need during the disaster period.
• US tech giant Dell Technologies has warned businesses they will become obsolete if they fail to adapt to the current “fourth industrial revolution”, and it voiced its readiness to help them get through this big challenge.
• Farmers in Cambodia create new tools to adapt to climate change.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)