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Apostrophe

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A rhetorical figure in which the speaker directly addresses an absent person, abstract concept, or inanimate object as if present and responsive.

Explore this topic in depth (5)

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Metaphysical Poetry — Metaphysical poetry brings love, faith, science, death and the body into unusually close contact. Its poets—especially John Donne, George Herbert and Andrew Marvell—make poems that think aloud, argue fiercely and discover emotional force in surprising comparisons.

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Detailed Definition
Apostrophe: A rhetorical and literary device in which the speaker of a poem directly addresses a person, an abstract idea, a thing, or a personified concept that is absent, imaginary, or incapable of responding. The addressee is often personified as if it were present and able to hear and answer. This device is used to express profound emotion, lamentation, awe, or introspection, and to bridge the gap between the speaker and the object of address. The origins of apostrophe lie in ancient Greek and Roman oratory. In poetry, it allows the speaker to externalize complex feelings or engage in a form of soliloquy directed outward. Famous examples include John Keats's "Ode to a Nightingale," where he addresses the bird's "light-winged Dryad of the trees," and Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias," where the speaker addresses the shattered visage of the statue. The use of apostrophe transforms the poem from a simple description into a dynamic, conversational exchange, giving voice to the speaker's deepest reflections.
Example
Example in poetry:
John Donne’s “Death, be not proud” directly addresses mortality as Apostrophe; Percy Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind” invokes the wind as creative force; contemporary poets address absent lovers, cities, or abstract concepts (e.g., “O Algorithm, guide my feed”); Apostrophe creates intimacy with non-present entities; the device animates the inanimate, bridging inner and outer worlds
Additional Notes
Apostrophe is a direct address to an absent person, abstract concept, or inanimate object (e.g., “O Death, be not proud”); it heightens emotional intensity and is common in elegies, odes, and dramatic monologues.
Other Meanings of “Apostrophe”
Also Known As
Direct address Invocation Speaking to absent Calling out apostrophic address Speaking-to-absent figure O Rhetorical address address
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