apostrophe

IPA/əˈpɒstrəfi/
KK[əpˈɑstrəfˌi]IPA/əˈpɑːstrəfi/

apostrophe — 名詞

  • apostrophesingular
  • apostrophesplural

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

1.名詞B2
釋義

撇號

標示省略字母或所有格的標點符號

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.

林老師在 Kenji 的作業上把 dont 這個字漏掉的撇號圈了出來。

apostrophe + in + word (omission use)

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

在 Maria 的 coat 中間的 s 前面加一個撇號，表示這件外套是她的。

apostrophe + before/after s (possession)

常見搭配
  • put an apostrophe before/after s
  • missing apostrophe
  • stray apostrophe
  • apostrophe of 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

頓呼法

對缺席者、死者或事物直接呼告的修辭

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.

在送葬場景中，哈姆雷特用頓呼法直接對著可憐的 Yorick 頭骨說話。

apostrophe + to + absent/dead addressee

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

她對全班朗讀詩的開頭：「啊，狂野的西風，聽我吟唱」，這就是頓呼法。

apostrophe addressing a thing as if alive

常見搭配
  • use an apostrophe
  • an apostrophe to the moon
  • a famous apostrophe
  • apostrophe to the dead
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.

同根字

  • apostrophise
    動詞C2
  • apostrophic
    形容詞C2

常見搭配

名詞搭配

  • apostrophe rule
  • apostrophe error
  • apostrophe key

常用片語

  • put in an apostrophe
  • leave out the apostrophe
  • add an apostrophe
  • missing apostrophe

介系詞搭配

  • apostrophe before s
  • apostrophe after s
  • apostrophe in a word