apostrophe

apostrophe — noun

1. the written sign ’ that shows where a letter or number has been dropped from a w

1.名詞B2
釋義

the written sign ’ that shows where a letter or number has been dropped from a word (as in don't or '99), or that marks possession when added with s (as in Anna's bag or the boys' coats), and is occasionally added before s in plurals like p's and 7's.

例句

Mrs. Lin circled the missing apostrophe in the word dont on Kenji's homework.

apostrophe + in + word (omission use)

Put an apostrophe before the s in Maria's coat to show that the coat belongs to her.

apostrophe + before/after s (possession)

用法筆記

Often appears in fixed structures: 'put/add an apostrophe before/after s' and 'leave out/forget the apostrophe'. The plural-marker use (p's, 7's) is shrinking in modern style guides; in formal writing it is now common to write 1990s and CDs without one.

常見錯誤

❌The book is your's.
✅The book is yours.
💡possessive pronouns (yours, hers, theirs, its) never take an apostrophe.
❌The dog wagged it's tail.
✅The dog wagged its tail.
💡'it's' always means 'it is' or 'it has'; the possessive is 'its' with no apostrophe.
❌We sell apple's and pear's.
✅We sell apples and pears.
💡do not add an apostrophe to make a normal noun plural.

2. in poetry, plays, or speeches, the figure of speech in which the speaker turns a

2.名詞C1
釋義

in poetry, plays, or speeches, the figure of speech in which the speaker turns aside to talk directly to a person who is not present, to someone who has died, or to an idea, object, or place treated as if it could listen — for example, calling out 'O Death!' or 'Dear Liberty,'.

例句

In the funeral scene, Hamlet uses apostrophe to speak straight to the skull of poor Yorick.

apostrophe + to + absent/dead addressee

The poem opens with an apostrophe: 'O wild West Wind, hear my song,' she read aloud to the class.

apostrophe addressing a thing as if alive

同義詞
  • invocation

    calling on a god or muse for help, often at the start of an epic; narrower than apostrophe

  • direct address

    the plain prose label for the same idea; less technical than apostrophe

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this is a literary device, not a punctuation mark. Often signalled in English texts by the exclamation 'O' or 'Oh' before the addressee. Mostly limited to literary criticism and creative writing classes; rarely heard in everyday conversation.

常見錯誤

❌The poet uses an apostrophe in line three to mark possession.
✅The poet uses an apostrophe in line three to address the moon directly.
💡in literary terms, an apostrophe is a turn of speech, not a typographic mark.