apostrophe

• Существительное с двумя различными значениями: риторический приём, при котором говорящий обращается к отсутствующему или воображаемому лицу, и знак препинания ('), используемый для обозначения пропущенных букв или принадлежности.

A noun with two distinct meanings: a rhetorical device where a speaker addresses an absent or imaginary person, and a punctuation mark (') used to indicate omitted letters or possession.

1. Rhetorical deviceC1formal

   A figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or a personified abstraction.

   Риторическое обращение

   • In his speech, he used an apostrophe to address the spirit of freedom.
   • The poet's apostrophe to the moon is a classic example.
   • She cried out in an apostrophe to her lost friend.

2. A2formal

   The punctuation mark (') used to indicate the omission of letters or figures, the possessive case, or the plural of letters or figures.

   Апостроф

   • The word 'don't' uses an apostrophe to show missing letters.
   • The cat's toy has an apostrophe to show possession.
   • Mind your p's and q's – the apostrophe is used for the plural of letters.