What does apostrophe mean in literary terms?
Definition of Apostrophe. As a literary device, an apostrophe is a poetic phrase or speech made by a character that is addressed to a subject that is not literally present in the literary work. The subject may be dead, absent, an inanimate object, or even an abstract idea.
How to pronounce "apostrophe"?
Pronunciation of apostrophe with 2 audio pronunciations. 58 ratings. 57 ratings. International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) IPA : əˈpɒstrəfɪ. Record the pronunciation of this word in your own voice and play it to listen to how you have pronounced it. Can you pronounce this word better.
How do you write an apostrophe?
To type e apostrophe in Word using the alt code:
- Launch your Word document.
- Place the insertion pointer where you want to type the apostrophe e.
- Press and hold the Alt key.
- Type the Alt code (0233 or 0201)using the numeric keypad.
- Release the Alt key.
What words have an apostrophe?
An apostrophe can be used to show that letters or numbers have been omitted. Here are some examples of apostrophes that indicate missing letters: I’m - short for I am. he’ll - short for he will. she’d – short for she hador she would. pick ’n’ mix - short for pick and mix. it’s hot - short for it is hot.
What are the 5 examples of apostrophe?
A few apostrophe examples below:I am – I'm: “I'm planning to write a book someday.”You are – You're: “You're going to have a lot of fun with your new puppy.”She is – She's: “She's always on time.”It is – It's: “I can't believe it's snowing again.”Do not – Don't: “I don't like anchovies.”More items...
What is apostrophe and it example?
apostrophe Add to list Share. An apostrophe is a punctuation mark used in contractions to replace missing letters. The contraction "we'll" stands for "we will," with the apostrophe replacing "wi." It can also show possession, as in "Mary's car." The apostrophe indicates the car belongs to Mary.
What apostrophe means?
The apostrophe is used to indicate possessive case, contractions, and omitted letters. The apostrophe is not strictly a punctuation mark, but more a part of a word to indicate possessive case, contractions, or omitted letters.
What are the 2 types of apostrophes?
There are two different kinds of apostrophes: smart and straight.
What are the 10 examples of apostrophe?
ExamplesIt's a nice day outside. ( contraction)The cat is dirty. Its fur is matted. ( possession)You're not supposed to be here. ( contraction)This is your book. ( possession)Who's at the door? ( contraction)Whose shoes are these? ( possession)They're not here yet. ( contraction)Their car is red. ( possession)More items...
What are the 3 Uses of apostrophe and examples?
1) To Show Possession.2) To Show Omission of Letters.3) To Form Plurals of Letters, Numbers, and Symbols.Do Not Use Apostrophes for Possessive Pronouns or for Noun Plurals.
How do you use apostrophes?
Apostrophe Rules for PossessivesUse an apostrophe +"s" ('s) to show that one person/thing owns or is a member of something.Use an apostrophe after the "s" (s') at the end of a plural noun to show possession.If a plural noun doesn't end in "s," add an apostrophe + "s" to create the possessive form.
Where do you put apostrophes?
An apostrophe is a small punctuation mark ( ' ) placed after a noun to show that the noun owns something. The apostrophe will always be placed either before or after an s at the end of the noun owner. Always the noun owner will be followed (usually immediately) by the thing it owns. 2.
Which apostrophe is correct?
The general rule is that the possessive of a singular noun is formed by adding an apostrophe and s, whether the singular noun ends in s or not. The possessive of a plural noun is formed by adding only an apostrophe when the noun ends in s, and by adding both an apostrophe and s when it ends in a letter other than s.
What is the difference between straight and curly apostrophe?
Curly quotes are often referred to as smart quotes. That's because they curve toward the text you're quoting. This is done automatically in most word processors. Straight quotes are what they sound like — straight, vertical marks without any indication of which word or phrase it's surrounding.
When to use an apostrophe at the end of a word?
When do you use an apostrophe?Singular and plural nouns that don't end in s: Add an apostrophe followed by the letter s. ... Plural nouns that end in s: Add just an apostrophe. ... Plural nouns treated as a singular: Add just an apostrophe.More items...•
How many apostrophes are there?
There are two types of apostrophe, one shows there is a letter (or letters) missing, one shows possession (that an object belongs to somebody or something) e.g. That is becomes that's when the letter I is missed out The girl's pens.
What is an apostrophe?
According to Ginger and Literary Devices, the word apostrophe is both a punctuation mark and a rhetorical or literary device. As a punctuation mark, an apostrophe has many uses. Remember that in most cases, plurals do not contain apostrophes. Apostrophes can be used to create contracted verbs by omission of a letter or more.
What are examples of apostrophe?
Apostrophe can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or literary technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge.
What are other literary techniques and devices?
There are many different literary and grammatical techniques and devices that you might see when you are reading prose or poetry. It is important to recognize these devices because they are always used for some purpose. Knowing these devices can help readers understand the author’s deeper meaning and why they are using such a device.
What is an apostrophe in a letter?
apostrophe. 1. A punctuation mark (’) used to show that a letter has been omitted or to indicate possession, such as in “David’s house.”. 2. The act of addressing a person or object, whether present or not, while in the middle of a discourse.
What does "apostrophe" mean in a sentence?
Noun. 1. apostrophe - address to an absent or imaginary person. rhetorical device - a use of language that creates a literary effect (but often without regard for literal significance) 2. apostrophe - the mark (') used to indicate the omission of one or more letters from a printed word.
What does the superscript sign mean?
The superscript sign ( ' ), usually used to indicate the omission of a letter or letters from a word, the possessive case, or the plurals of numbers, letters, and abbreviations . [French, from Late Latin apostrophus, from Greek apostrophos, from apostrephein, to turn away : apo-, apo- + strephein, to turn; see streb (h)- in Indo-European roots .]
What does "he has" mean in punctuation?
n. the punctuation mark ' used to indicate the omission of a letter or number, such as he's for he has or he is, also used in English to form the possessive, as in John's father and twenty pounds' worth. [C17: from Late Latin, from Greek apostrophos mark of elision, from apostrephein to turn away]
What is an apostrophe in a noun?
Apostrophes used in a non-standard manner to form noun plurals are known as greengrocers' apostrophes or grocers' apostrophes, often written as greengrocer's apostrophes or grocer's apostrophes. They are sometimes humorously called greengrocers apostrophe's, rogue apostrophes, or idiot's apostrophes (a literal translation of the German word Deppenapostroph, which criticises the misapplication of apostrophes in Denglisch ). The practice, once common and acceptable (see Historical development ), comes from the identical sound of the plural and possessive forms of most English nouns. It is often criticised as a form of hypercorrection coming from a widespread ignorance of the proper use of the apostrophe or of punctuation in general. Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves, points out that before the 19th century it was standard orthography to use the apostrophe to form a plural of a foreign-sounding word that ended in a vowel (e. g., banana's, folio's, logo's, quarto's, pasta's, ouzo's) to clarify pronunciation. Truss says this usage is no longer considered proper in formal writing.
What is an apostrophe in Wikipedia?
Apostrophe. ’. '. Typesetter's apostrophe. Typewriter apostrophe. The apostrophe ( ' or ’) is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet and some other alphabets.
What happens if you have a name that ends in "s"?
If you have a name that ends in "s," or if you will observe home-made signs selling tomatoes or chili-and-beans, you will quickly note what can be done with a possessive apostrophe in reckless hands.
What is the apostrophe in Afrikaans?
In Afrikaans, as in Dutch, the apostrophe is used to show that letters have been omitted from words. The most common use is in the indefinite article 'n, which is a contraction of een meaning 'one' (the number).
What does an apostrophe mean in a sentence?
An apostrophe is used in time and money references in constructions such as one hour's respite, two weeks' holiday, a dollar's worth, five pounds' worth, one mile's drive from here. This is like an ordinary possessive use. For example, one hour's respite means a respite of one hour (exactly as the cat's whiskers means the whiskers of the cat ). Exceptions are accounted for in the same way: three months pregnant (in modern usage, one says neither pregnant of three months, nor one month (')s pregnant ).
Why do we use an apostrophe in Albanian?
In Albanian the apostrophe is used to show that a vowel has been omitted from words, especially in different forms of verbs and in some forms of personal pronoun.
When to use apostrophes in English?
From the 16th century, following French practice, the apostrophe was used when a vowel letter was omitted either because of incidental elision ("I'm" for "I am") or because the letter no longer represented a sound ("lov'd" for "loved"). English spelling retained many inflections that were not pronounced as syllables, notably verb endings ("-est", "-eth", "-es", "-ed") and the noun ending "-es", which marked either plurals or possessives, also known as genitives; see Possessive apostrophe, below). An apostrophe followed by "s" was often used to mark a plural, especially when the noun was a loan word (and especially a word ending in "a", as in "the two comma's").
What are the apostrophes in a sentence?
Some additional key details about apostrophe: 1 Apostrophe, the figure of speech, should not be confused with apostrophe, the punctuation mark. 2 The word "apostrophe," which comes from ancient Greek, literally means "turning away," because to perform apostrophe on stage, an actor turns away from the scene to address an absent entity. 3 An apostrophe is often introduced by the exclamation "O," as when Juliet cries out: "O Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore art thou Romeo?" 4 Apostrophe appears most often in poetry and plays, though it can appear in prose literature as well. 5 Apostrophe always addresses its object in the second person. Sometimes this address involves the word "you" or the more formal "thou." Other times the "you" is not included, as when the narrator of Herman Melville's story Bartleby, the Scrivener ends his tale with the despairing apostrophe: "Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!"
Where did the apostrophe come from?
One of the earliest and most famous examples of apostrophe in literature comes from Homer, who begins both The Iliad and The Odyssey with an invocation of the Muse. The Odyssey begins with the following lines, which ask the Muse, a goddess of the arts, to help the author in his work: on the proud height of Troy.
Why is the apostrophe in "To the Reader" an example?
Beaudelaire's poem "To The Reader" may therefore be considered an example of apostrophe, because Beaudelaire describes the reader and makes him come to life, addressing him directly at the end:
What is an apotrophe in writing?
Apostrophe often involves the speaker or writer addressing an inanimate object or abstract idea. In doing so, the speaker or writer will often impart to the object human characteristics. The object, in other words, gets personified. Take these two lines from William Wordsworth's "Prelude":
What is an apostrophe and an aversion?
Though everyone agrees that apostrophe is a form of address to a silent listener, some scholars insist that apostrophe must involve what they call an "aversion," a turning away from an original audience to then address the subject of the apostrophe.
What does the apostrophe mean in the figure of speech?
The word "apostrophe," which comes from ancient Greek, literally means "turning away, " because to perform apostrophe on stage, an actor turns away from the scene to address an absent entity.
How does Wordsworth personify the cliffs and islands?
Here, in addition to performing an apostrophe in which the speaker addresses the cliffs and islands, Wordsworth personifies those cliffs and islands by imagining them as capable of knowing someone. However, though apostrophe often involves personification of inanimate objects or abstract ideas, it certainly doesn't always.
What does an apostrophe mean?
Apostrophes can also be used to indicate that the first two digits of a year have been omitted. You’ve probably seen this in cases like “the class of ’ 93,” “the ’ 08 election” and “the Roaring ’ 20s.”
When do you add an apostrophe to a noun?
When a singular noun doesn’t end in S , you just need to add an apostrophe and an S to make it possessive. Examples include “the boy ’ s bike,” “the dog ’ s leash,” and “Bob ’ s house.”. If a singular noun does end in S, you should add an apostrophe and an S to make the word possessive.
Do you need an apostrophe at the end of a noun?
If a noun is plural and ends in S, you only need to add an apostrophe at the end to make it possessive. Examples include “the students ’ tests,” “the girls ’ backpacks,” and “the Morris ’ car.”. In the case of irregular plural nouns that don’t end in S, add an apostrophe and an S to the word to make it possessive.
What is an apostrophe?
An apostrophe (’) is a type of punctuation used for two purposes: to create contractions, and to create the possessive form of a noun. Examples and definition of an Apostrophe. An apostrophe (’) is a type of punctuation used for two purposes: to create contractions, and to create the possessive form of a noun. EnglishSentences.com .
What does it mean when you use an apostrophe?
The possessive means that you are showing that a noun “possesses” something, in other words, that something belongs to the noun.
What is an apostrophe in writing?
An apostrophe (’) is a type of punctuationused for two purposes: to create contractions, and to create the possessive form of a noun. Truth be told, apostrophes cause a lot of problems for writers—they are often misused, misplaced, and misunderstood!
What is the singular possessive form of a noun?
Singular possessives. To make the possessive form of a singular noun, we use an apostrophe BEFOREthe “s” (Noun+ ’ + s), followed by the thing the noun possesses. Here are some examples: Jane’s momtold her to do her homework. The school’s gymwas filled with people for the basketball game.
How do you use an apostrophe?
So, an apostrophe has two jobs: to shorten words and make them less formal, or to show when something belongs to someone or something.
Is "s" a possessive noun?
Plural nouns already end in “s” or “es”, so the English language tells us that adding an apostrophe and another “s” is a little bit strange. So, to make the possessive form of a plural noun, the apostrophe goes AFTERthe “s” (Noun + s + ’), and you don’t need to add another “s.”. Here are some examples:
Do you need an apostrophe for plural?
People make a lot of mistakes with apostrophes, particularly when it comes to creating plurals. Forming the plural of a noun does not require an apostrophe, EVER, no exceptions! Plurals only require adding “s,” “es,” or “ies” (depending on the word). This often confuses writers.
Why is it called the grocer's apostrophe?
Sometimes, it’s called the grocer’s apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements ( 3 orange’s for a dollar! ). Don’t do it! With very few exceptions, apostrophes do not make nouns plural.
Is an apostrophe a punctuation mark?
Apostrophes with Surrounding Punctuation. An apostrophe is part of the word it belongs to, so it should not be separate d from the word by periods, commas, question marks, or any other punctuation mark.
Is "grocer" an apostrophe?
Apostrophes and Plurals. Using an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a very common mistake. Sometimes, it’s called the grocer’s apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements ( 3 orange’s for a dollar! ). Don’t do it!
Do you add an apostrophe to a possessive?
The rules about forming possessives probably cause the most apostrophe confusion. They vary a little bit, depending on what type of noun you are making into a possessive. Here are the rules of thumb: For most singular nouns, add apostrophe+s: For most plural nouns, add only an apostrophe :
Do apostrophes make nouns plural?
With very few exceptions, apostrophes do not make nouns plural. The one notable exception to this rule is the plural form of lowercase letters, which are formed with an apostrophe to prevent misreading: Don’t forget to dot all your is. Don’t forget to dot all your i’s.
Why Should I Care about Apostrophes?
Apostrophes are a grammar villain. Here is the biggest error related to apostrophes:
Key Point
Don't use an apostrophe just because your word ends "s." Stick to the rules!
Overview
Non-English use
In many languages, especially European languages, the apostrophe is used to indicate the elision of one or more sounds, as in English.
• In Albanian the apostrophe is used to show that a vowel has been omitted from words, especially in different forms of verbs and in some forms of personal pronoun. For example, t'i: them (from të + i: them), m'i mori (from më + i mori). It is used too in some of the forms of possessive pronoun…
Usage in English
The apostrophe was first used by Pietro Bembo in his edition of De Aetna (1496). It was introduced into English in the 16th century in imitation of French practice.
Introduced by Geoffroy Tory (1529), the apostrophe was used in place of a vowel letter to indicate elision (as in l'heure in place of la heure). It was also frequently used in place of a final "e" (which was still pronounced at the time) when it wa…
Typographic form
The shape of the apostrophe originated in manuscript writing, as a point with a downwards tail curving clockwise. This form was inherited by the typographic apostrophe, ’, also known as the typeset apostrophe (or, informally, the curly apostrophe). Later sans-serif typefaces had stylised apostrophes with a more geometric or simplified form, but usually retaining the same directional bias a…
Informal use in measurement and mathematics
Formally, the symbol used to represent a foot of length, depth, or height, is ′ (prime) and that for the inch is ″ (double prime). (Thus, for example, the notation 5' 7″ signifies 5 feet and 7 inches). Similarly, the prime symbol is the formal representation of a minute of arc (1/60 of a degree in geometry and geomatics), and double prime represents a second of arc (for example, 17°54'32" represents 17 degrees 54 minutes and 32 seconds). Similarly in mathematics, the prime is gener…
Unicode
In its Unicode Standard (version 13.0), the Unicode Consortium describes three characters that represent apostrophe:
• U+0027 ' APOSTROPHE: The typewriter or ASCII apostrophe. The standard remarks:
For historical reasons, U+0027 is a particularly overloaded character. In ASCII, it is used to represent a punctuation mark (such as right single quotation mark, left single quotation mark, ap…
Computing
In modern computing practice, Unicode is the standard and default method for character encoding. However, Unicode itself and many legacy applications have echoes of earlier practices. Furthermore, the limited character set provided by computer keyboards has also required practical and pragmatic adjustments. These issues are detailed below.
The typewriter apostrophe, ', was inherited by computer keyboards, and is the only apostrophe ch…
See also
• Apologetic apostrophe
• Caron
• Contraction (grammar)
• Elision
• Genitive case
Apostrophe Definition
Apostrophe Examples
- Examples of Apostrophe in Literature
Apostrophe is found throughout literature: it appears in poetry, prose, and drama, and across all eras from ancient Greek epic poetry through modern times. - Examples of Apostrophe in Song Lyrics
Many different genres of music make use of apostrophe, as it creates a direct emotional attachment between the singer and his or her subject.
Why Do Writers Use Apostrophe?
- Apostrophe is used primarily to express strong emotion (like love, hate, fear, or anger), but it allows the speaker or writer to do so by directly addressing the subject of their thoughts or feelings, which makes the expression less abstract. Speakers or characters may use apostrophe to make an impassioned plea or prayer, to celebrate a happy occasion, or to lament a loss. The …
Other Helpful Apostrophe Resources
- The Wikipedia entry on apostrophe:on apostrophe: short and sweet, with a bunch of good examples.
- A dictionary definition of apostrophe:This definition covers both the punctuation mark and the figure of speech. It also provides a brief etymology of the word.
- Macbeth's apostrophe to the dagger:Macbeth, played by Patrick Stewart, addresses his visio…
- The Wikipedia entry on apostrophe:on apostrophe: short and sweet, with a bunch of good examples.
- A dictionary definition of apostrophe:This definition covers both the punctuation mark and the figure of speech. It also provides a brief etymology of the word.
- Macbeth's apostrophe to the dagger:Macbeth, played by Patrick Stewart, addresses his vision of a dagger.
