Meaning & use
apostrophe
A punctuation mark used to show possession or to mark missing letters in a contraction.
See it in a sentence
Add an apostrophe and an "s" to show that the book belongs to Maria.
The word "don't" uses an apostrophe to replace the missing "o" in "do not."
A note on using this word
A common error is using an apostrophe to form ordinary plurals, such as writing "banana's" instead of "bananas."
Words with a similar meaning
This term is best learned through its definition and examples.
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. noun
A rhetorical device in which a speaker addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or a thing as if it could respond.
In the poem, the speaker uses apostrophe to cry out to death itself as though it were listening.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “apostrophe”, then compare your use with the examples above.