MalaPropism

MalaPropism is a simple and addictive speed reading game with multiple choice answers, allowing you to quickly read a famous quote and select which word is incorrect (i.e. a malapropism or a catachresis). With MalaPropism, you will be able to improve your reading speed, expand your vocabulary as well as have a bit of laugh at funny mistakes from famous people.

Together with Equivocation, Aposiopesis, Spoonerism and Anacoluthon, Malapropism and Catachresis make up for majority numbers of mistakes in speaking and writing. We all have substituted a similar-sounding word for the word that was actually intended, often with the consequence of a hilariously nonsensical sentence. That sometimes could be witty or some other times could be costly. Through MalaPropism, you would be able to expand your awareness about malapropism and catachresis in order to utilise these in the right situations.

The word malapropism comes from a character named Mrs. Malaprop in one of Richard Sheridan’s Restoration comedies, The Rivals. Malaprop is derived from the French mal à propos, which means inappropriate (we also have the word malapropos in English), and describes the manner in which Mrs. Malaprop used many words in her speech.
Some examples of malapropism are:

- Mrs. Malaprop said, "Illiterate him quite from your memory" (obliterate)
- Mrs. Malaprop said, "She's as headstrong as an allegory" (alligator)
- Yogi Berra said "Texas has a lot of electrical votes." (electoral votes)
- "Patience is a virgin." (virtue) – Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) from “All in the Family”
- You sit there like you in a comma (coma) – Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor)
- "A witness shall not bear falsies against thy neighbor." – Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) from “All in the Family
- "It will take time to restore chaos and order." - President George W. Bush
- "They have miscalculated me as a leader." - President George W. Bush

Malapropism is often known as Dogberrism in Shakespeare's. Some examples are:
- Marry, sir, I would have some confidence with you that discerns you nearly. (conference, concerns) - Dogberry, a foolish constable in Much Ado
- Comparisons are odorous (odious) - Dogberry
- We will meet, and there we may rehearse most obscenely (unseen) and courageously. - Nick Bottom- A Midsummer Night's Dream

Similar to malapropism, catachresis is the use of word or a figure of speech incorrectly, breaking the rules of usage. In literature, catacheresis is often used intentionally to create a unique expression. Catachresis is also known as an exaggerated comparison between two ideas or objects.

Some examples of catachresis are:

- A man that studies revenge keeps his own wounds green.. - On Revenge - Francis Bacon
- Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And, by opposing, end them? To die, to sleep - Hamlet - William Shakespeare
- "I will speak daggers to her." - Hamlet, William Shakespeare
- His complexion is perfect gallows …” - The Tempest (By William Shakespeare)

In the past, many writers including William Shakespeare, Francis Bacon or Emily Dickinson have used malapropism and catachresis to achieve great compression and rhetorical energy in both serious and comic verse. Nowadays, we still very often see malapropism and catachresis in either intentional or unintentional mistakes from famous figures like George W. Bush, Carolle O’Connor through the infamous character Archie Bunker, and Yogi Berra. These individuals make malapropism and catachresis so often that they even have their own terms: Bushism and Yogism.

When playing MalaPropism you will see hundreds of quotes from Archie Bunker, many examples from Carroll O'Connor, Yogi Berra, George W. Bush and Shakespeare. And by having fun playing MalaPropism, you will be able to create more Yogism and less Bushism.

Thank you for playing MalaPropism!