You might be interested in examples of sarcasm. You might also be interested in onomatopoeia examples in literature. In this famous line from Hamlet by Shakespeare, the main character Hamlet happens to be strolling through a graveyard with his friend Horatio when two clowns dig up the skull of Hamlet’s former acquaintance Yorick, a court jester. Apostrophe is used primarily to express strong emotion (like love, hate, fear, or anger), but it allows the speaker or writer to do so by directly addressing the subject of their thoughts or feelings, which makes the expression less abstract. This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die. In this apostrophe example, Juliet takes Romeo’s dagger and addresses it. So, to make the possessive form of a plural noun, the apostrophe goes AFTER the “s” (Noun + s + ’), and you don’t need to add another “s.” Here are some examples: This can seem a bit confusing. Copyright © 2020 Literary Devices. So, to mark her final moment, she chooses to talk to an inanimate object because saying her goodbyes to Romeo is no longer possible. Struggling with distance learning? In fact, for these types of words, apostrophes are just as important as the letters themselves—without apostrophes, the words simply wouldn’t exist! This is also an important part of the process. Aside from being a classic poem/nursery rhyme, it is also a classic example of the use of an apostrophe. What would I do without you?”, “Please, please clouds. How you chained me to one spot, one hour, one chair, and sat yourselves down opposite! The poet addresses the sun in an informal and colloquial way, as if it were a real human being. Anonymous February 25, 2019, 6:12 pm Reply. (Seriously, this guy has issues.). We form the possessive by adding an apostrophe and “s” to the end of a noun; BUT, their positions are different for singular and plural nouns. No hungry generations tread thee down; Apostrophe and figures of speech—hearing these words per discussed by your teacher or shared by your friend could be intimidating, leaving you with an impression that these terms are too fancy and poetic for your day-to-day interaction. In addition, the use of apostrophe motivates readers to develop a perspective that is fresh, as well as creative. Hamlet then picks up Yorick’s skull and addresses it by saying “Alas, poor Yorick!” After his short hello to his old friend, he then turns back to addressing his friend Horatio. As mentioned, apostrophes are for contractions and possessives. For instance, the novel Jane Eyre famously ends with a line in which Jane, who has narrated the entire story, suddenly directly addresses her audience to say: "Reader, I married him.". O happy dagger! In this case, Keats declares to the nightingale, “Thou wast not born for death.” He notes that the song of the nightingale has been heard for generations and should never cease. Accordingly, many writers make the mistake of using apostrophes like this: In these sentences, there should NOT be any apostrophes. Apostrophe always addresses its object in the second person. Whatever the shape of your house, However you scoot from place to place, No matter how strange and colorless the clothes you may wear, I bet nobody likes a wet dog either. LitCharts Teacher Editions. The object, in other words, gets personified. In doing so, the speaker or writer will often impart to the object human characteristics. Apostrophes: definition and examples. jest, of most excellent fancy. Who else are we going to talk to about it? Welcome, O life! Let’s take some apostrophe examples: One of the earliest and most famous examples of apostrophe in literature comes from Homer, who begins both The Iliad and The Odyssey with an invocation of the Muse.The Odyssey begins with the following lines, which ask the Muse, a goddess of the arts, to help the author in his work: Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of contending, the wanderer, harried for years on end, after he plundered the stronghold on the proud height of Troy. This poem has become one of the most popular nursery rhymes told to children. dog's bone (singular) girl's bag (singular) If 2 seconds ago, you were addressing Romeo, you can easily begin your next statement with “O” to tell your audience that you are no longer talking to Romeo but to somebody else, nobody can see.