What term refers to a reduced form often marked by an apostrophe in writing?

• A. Contraction
• B. Elision
• C. Abbreviation
• D. Apostrophe Use

Answer: (A)

Contraction is the term for a reduced form that is typically marked by an apostrophe in writing. It happens when letters are omitted in the joining of two words, with the apostrophe standing in for the missing letters—like don’t from do not or it’s from it is. This is different from elision, which is a broader linguistic idea about omitting sounds in speech and isn’t specifically about the written form. Abbreviation refers to shortened forms that don’t necessarily use an apostrophe, such as Dr. or etc., and apostrophe use simply denotes the punctuation itself, not the kind of shortened form.