English

Key stage X

‘As headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile’

A Malapropism is the accidental replacement of one word with another similar word,
making the sentence complete nonsense.

The character Mrs. Malaprop from Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s play The Rivals is thought to
be the origin of the word ‘malapropism’ to describe this type of mistake. Mrs. Malaprop
makes many mistakes with long words, including replacing ‘alligator’ with ‘allegory’. Writers
have been using malapropisms to ridicule their characters for a long time – Shakespeare
also uses humorous malapropisms.

Malapropism is still used to great effect today: Just think about Compare the Meerkat.

Animal Malapropism – A Creative Writing Task

Malapropisms can make characters seem ridiculous, showing how pompous they are, but
also exposing their lack of real knowledge.

Write an exchange between two people talking about animals, with one person making
accidental malapropisms.

Here are some examples of malapropisms you could use

– or you could come up with your own!

Echidna– Echinacea Weasel – Wastrel
Lemur– Llama - Lemon Tapir – Tiger
Goat– Ghost Skunk – Skink
Mallard– Mallet - Mullet Iguana – Guava - Guanaco
Nightingale– Nightgown Hornet – Hairnet
Mouse – Moose Mosquito – Mystery
Oryx– Onyx