ARE YOU A MRS. MALAPROP?

ARE YOU A MRS. MALAPROP?

In Sheridan’s play ‘The Rivals’, Mrs. Malaprop continually used long words in the wrong places. Here is a list of ‘paired’ words which may prove troublesome.

1. COMPLEMENT or COMPLIMENT:
a. Complement – number or quantity
required to fill or complete
b. Compliment – expression of
praise or admiration
2. RESOURCE or RECOURSE:
a. Resource – reserve source of
supply, strength or support
b. Recourse – application for or
resort to help
3. TORTUOUS or TORTUROUS:
a. Tortuous – full or turns twists
or bends
b. Torturous – cruelly painful;
agonizing
4. CONSCRIPT or TRANSCRIPT:
a. Conscript – Recruit; one
compulsorily enrolled in one of
the services
b. Transcript – handwritten or
typed copy of an original
document
5. DISQUISITION or INQUISITION:
a. Disquisition – formal discourse
based on careful research;
elaborate essay
b. Inquisition – thorough
investigation; judicial or
official inquiry, often with
the intention to fix guilt
6. DISPORT or DEPORT:
a. Disport – to amuse or divert;
as, to disport oneself in the
water
b. Deport – to banish; exile; to
transport; as to deport a
criminal alien
7. COLLOQUY or OBLOQUY:
a. Colloquy – conference; mutual
(and usually formal)discussion:
as, a colloquy about literary
affairs
b. Obloquy – abusive language;
public defamation; calumny
8. TEMPORIZE or EXTEMPORIZE:
a. Temporize – to pursue a policy
of delay; to avoid immediate
decision in order to gain time
b. Extemporize – to make or do on
the spur of the moment, without
preparation; to improvise
9. HYPERCRITICAL or HYPOCRITICAL:
a. Hypercritical – excessively
fault finding;unfairly critical
b. Hypocritical – pertaining to
one who professes to be what he
is not in order to win approval
10. PRESCRIBE or PROSCRIBE:
a. Prescribe – to order or direct;
to dictate; to lay down as a
rule of action
b. Proscribe – to prohibit; to
denounce; to condemn

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