The UVic Writer's Guide
Oral / Verbal
Oral refers to the mouth ("My friend is an oral surgeon") while verbal refers to words ("Verbal communication is more sophisticated
than fighting").
Do not, however, say that you are making a verbal presentation;
most presentations use words, but "oral presentation" specifies
the physical act of speaking.
Dictionary of Usage
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Copyright, The Department of English, University of Victoria,
1995
This page updated April 19, 1995