apostrophe
Definitions
The punctuation mark ('), used to show omitted letters or possession
撇号（'），用于表示省略的字母或所有格
A rhetorical device in which a speaker addresses an absent or imaginary person or thing
（修辞）呼语：转而对不在场或想象中的人或物说话
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedapo- (away) + strophe (turn) = "a turning away." As rhetoric, the speaker turns away from the audience to address the absent. As punctuation, the mark shows where a letter has been turned away/dropped (do not → don't). One idea, two jobs.
Root strophe still carries 3 more wordsWhy It Means This
The two meanings feel unrelated but share one root idea — apo- (away) + strophe (turn). The rhetorical apostrophe is the speaker turning aside to the absent; the written apostrophe marks letters "turned away," i.e. omitted. So a contraction's apostrophe and a poet's cry to the dead are, etymologically, the same gesture.
Usage Guide
- Punctuation (everyday): the common meaning — possession (the dog's bone) and omission (can't, '90s).
- Rhetoric (literary): rare, used in poetry/essays about literature.
- Pronunciation note: stress on the second syllable — uh-POS-truh-fee, four syllables, not "apo-strofe."
Example Sentences
- 1.
Add an apostrophe to show possession: that is Tom's book.
- 2.
People often misplace the apostrophe in "its" and "it's".
- 3.
The poem opens with an apostrophe to the moon.