More words that are easy to confuse

Hail/ hale  

The noun hail refers to pieces of frozen rain that fall during storms. Hail may also be a considerable number of any object that is thrown through the air, such as a hail of bullets in a gunfight. When used as a verb, hail means to greet someone or to praise and recognize someone or something. Another possible meaning of the verb hail is to describe where people were born. If Aunt Busarakham hails from Lop Buri, that means she was born in Lop Buri.

The adjective hale means healthy. It is not seen very often in academic research or theses, but it can be found in such expressions as hale and hearty, meaning in good solid health. Hail and hale sound exactly alike, and like many short words in English, look very similar. One way to tell them apart might be to invent some short sentences to remind us of their meaning:

At the Thammasat-Chula game, the crowd hailed the player who looked hale and hearty, despite injury.

Here are some usage examples:

• Hail the heroes. Thais witnessed 10,000 of them assembling in Chiang Rai in July to rescue our young Wild Boars footballers, trapped in a cave. Mission impossible – as we came to call the 18-day operation in July to rescue 12 young footballers and their coach trapped in a Chiang Rai cave – was perhaps most memorable for the help that poured in from all around the world.
• Warnings issued as thunderstorms predicted cross-country this week. A high-pressure mass from China will move into Thailand this week, resulting in thunderstorms, high winds, heavy rains and possibly hailstorms in most provinces outside the South.
• Nutritionists hail ban on trans fats. Thai nutritionists and health advocates have praised a recent Public Health Ministry regulation banning the production, import and distribution of industrially produced trans fats and food products containing them. Trans fats have been linked to cardiovascular disease. The June 13 ministerial regulation was published in the Royal Gazette on July 13 and widely shared on social media. The ministry cited clear scientific evidence that trans fatty acids from partially hydrogenated oils pose a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Japan tennis fans hail ‘new Queen’ Osaka. It was an agonising two hours and 27 minutes but Japanese tennis fans burst into tears and shouts of joy Saturday as Naomi Osaka sealed her second straight Grand Slam.
• Sing Buri police hail major drug busts. A major drug-trafficking ring’s members have been arrested in Sing Buri on Wednesday along with 11,600,000 methamphetamine pills and some 700kg of crystal meth or “ice”, deputy national police chief Pol General Chalermkiat Srivorakan told a press conference on Friday. Hail storm leaves trail of damage across north. Roofs were punctured, cars dented and flower gardens ruined across the North in a severe hailstorm on Sunday. With the ice chunks turning some areas into scenes resembling snow-covered fields, Thai netizens turned to social media to share photos and video clips of the phenomenon. Tangerine-sized hailstones damaged properties in Chiang Mai’s Wiang Haeng, Mae On and San Kamphaeng districts. Chiang Mai Disaster Prevention and Mitigation official Khomsan Suwan-ampa said authorities fanned out yesterday to inspect the damage and roof tiles were sent to repair 200 affected homes in Wiang Haeng district. Chiang Mai city’s annual winter flower festival plantation was ruined, with the tulip patch hard hit, Khomsan said, adding it was the worst hailstorm in 50 years.
• The team of specialist chefs hail from no fewer than five different Thai provinces.
• “Accidents” here mean ordinary accidents only, such as hail, lightning or frost, and the lessee will not be answerable for loss caused by extraordinary accidents such as war or floods, unless he has, been made liable for all accidents, foreseen or unforeseen.
• Muslim women hail female-only motorbike taxis. Jakarta – Female motorbike taxi drivers in headscarves zig-zag through heavy traffic in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, the latest two-wheeled transport service for women making a dent in the male-dominated world of ride-hailing apps in the Muslim nation.
• Coach Juan Carlos Osorio, the object of their affections, arrived in Russia this month beneath a hailstorm of criticism from all corners of Mexico.
• Long’s men, often parched and starving, battled a violent hailstorm, sometimes resorted to eating their horses, and negotiated their way past a band of Kiowa-Apaches.
• Importers hail gains over illegal fishing. Global importers have gained confidence in the direction Thailand is taking for solutions to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing and labour problems, said Virachai Plasai, Thailand’s ambassador to the United States. At a seminar on “Thailand’s Path to Sustainable Fisheries” at the Seafood Expo North America 2018 event from March 11-13 in Boston, Thailand’s Department of Fisheries, the Royal Thai Police, the Thai Frozen Foods Association and Stella Maris updated the importers on the country’s progress in tackling the IUU problems. Importers, particularly the world’s largest retailer Wal-Mart Store Inc, welcomed Thailand’s clear solution to the IUU and labour problems, Virachai said.
• Like Buddha, Christ, Sai Baba was mocked for his goodness. Re: “Love all, serve all – Sai Baba’s message lives on as an inspiration to millions”, January 20. I was overwhelmed to read this article. I personally know of a Thai lady, who was suffering from an untreatable form of cancer (and was given at most 2 months to live). She was cured by Sai Baba (when the lady visited Sai Baba in India) by a mere wave of the hand, when He said: “I cancel your cancer, but you live your life to serve the society.” The Thai lady currently living in Rayong is all hale and healthy, since then (for the last 7 years) with no trace of cancer.
• Running for a cause. Samui Island International Triathlon invites the hale and hearty to compete in this tropical paradise on April 22. The race involves cycling, swimming and cycling through beachfront routes around the island. Famous for palm-lined tropical beaches, Samui is also earning a reputation for fitness holidays. For on-line application, visit www.TriathlonSamui.com.
• While ethical concerns are starker when someone is ill or otherwise vulnerable, when discussing patients, we also mean our discussion to apply to the hale and hearty.
• Any welfare policy must consider not only the hale and hearty old people, but the infirm, the incapacitated and the incurable.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)