Not long ago I (a mere college sophomore) gave a lecture on then vs. than to three grad students and a college professor who had just received a few comments about those words in a scientific paper he was writing.
Another very depressing indicator of the increasing illiteracy of our society is the misuse of verbal in a context where oral is required.
Thus, even highly educated university academics will write and talk of a verbal report, when they are referring to a report that has been presented orallly. A verbal report ought only to be used to distinguish it from ones that are symbolic (delivered through the medium of symbols); visual (through images) or musical (in the form of a piece of music), etc.
When you are assaulted in this way, it is recommended that, with an air of innocence, you express disappointment that the report was not delivered in pictograms or in symphonic form.