Tuesday Tip: Malapropisms

Tuesday Tip

A malapropism is when a writer misuses words or phrases in a ridiculous way, especially by confusing words that sound similar. The word or phrase means something quite different from the word the writer intended to use. This results in something which is generally nonsensical. A few examples are:

I have no delusions to the past. (allusions)

You could have knocked me over with a fender. (feather)

You lead the way and we'll precede. (proceed)

Unfortunately, my affluence over my niece is very small. (influence)

A rolling stone gathers no moths. (moss)

It is important to remember that malaproprisms do not belong in the narrative portion of story, but characters can say just about anything.