apostrophe

• n. 省略符號，撇號；呼語，頓呼

前綴apo-, 從，從...離開。-strophe, 轉，同stir, 攪動。

apostrophe

apostrophe: [17] Apostrophe comes originally from the Greek phrase prosōidiā apóstrophos, literally ‘accent of turning away’, hence, a mark showing where a letter or sound has been omitted. Apóstrophos itself was derived from the compound verb apostréphein, formed from the prefix apo- ‘away’ and the verb stréphein ‘turn’ (related to the second element of catastrophe [16], whose Greek original meant literally ‘overturning’). English acquired the word via French and Latin.
=> catastrophe

apostrophe (n.)

mark indicating omitted letter, 1580s, from Middle French apostrophe, from Late Latin apostrophus, from Greek apostrophos (prosoidia) "(the accent of) turning away," thus, a mark showing where a letter has been omitted, from apostrephein "avert, turn away," from apo- "from" (see apo-) + strephein "to turn" (see strophe).

In English, the mark often represents loss of -e- in -es, possessive ending. It was being extended to all possessives, whether they ever had an -e- or not, by 18c. Greek also used this word for a "turning aside" of an orator in speech to address some individual, a sense first recorded in English 1530s.

1. "It's" (with an apostrophe) should be used only as a contraction for "it is".

it's（帶撇號）隻能用作itis的縮約形式。

來自柯林斯例句

2. There should be an apostrophe here, and look, you've missed out the word "men" altogether!

這裏應該有一個撇號，還有你看，你把men這個單詞整個兒漏掉了！

來自柯林斯例句

3. Answer these questions, using the words in parentheses. Put the apostrophe in the right place.

用句後括號中的詞或詞組來回答問題, 注意撇號的位置.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》

4. When you contract a word or two words you need to add apostrophe .

當你要縮寫一個或者兩個詞時，你需要加上撇號。

來自辭典例句

5. 'What ,'said Mr. Cruncher, varying his apostrophe after missing his mark --'what are you , up to, Aggerawayter?'

“ 你又在玩什麽花樣, ”克朗徹先生沒打中目標, 便改變了問候方式.“又找麻煩是不是? ”

來自英漢文學 - 雙城記