AQA GCSE English Literature · 8702
Paper 1
The comic misuse of a word in place of a similar-sounding word, often revealing a speaker’s attempt to appear knowledgeable.
Revise: ContextHis language frequently uses malapropisms. In Act 3 Scene 5, Dogberry says, “Comparisons are odorous”, substituting a word about smell for the expected ‘odious’. His prose reveals his wish to sound authoritative and his difficulty expressing himself clearly.
- Revise: Act 3
The mistaken use of a word that sounds like the intended word, often creating comedy.