apostrophe

The most overused and underappreciated punctuation mark utilized in the writing of the English language. It is used to indicate the omission of a letter (elision) or letters in a word, to connect words pronounced successively (contraction), or to indicate possession. Alternatively, and much less contemporary, is the use of the term "apostrophe" to indicate a short address by a character in a play or poem to an absent party or an inanimate object. The apostrophe in this sense allows the audience a look into the speaker's thoughts toward a person or object that cannot respond (similar to a soliloquy).