Which term involves addressing an absent person or abstract quality?

• A. Apostrophe
• B. Alliteration
• C. Assonance
• D. Figure of Speech

Answer: (A)

Addressing an absent person or abstract quality is done with an apostrophe. This figure of speech involves speaking to someone or something that isn’t present, or to an idea as if it could listen, which adds emphasis or emotion. For example, saying “O Death, be not proud” treats Death as a person you can address, or “Dear Fortune, you tricked me” treats fortune as if it were a person capable of hearing.

Alliteration, on the other hand, is about repeating initial consonant sounds in neighboring words, like “silly Sally sells seashells,” which is a pattern of sound, not addressing someone. Assonance repeats vowel sounds within nearby words, such as “mad hatter,” which also concerns sound rather than speaking to a person or abstraction. A figure of speech is a broad umbrella term for many devices, but the specific act described—directly addressing an absent or abstract presence—is captured precisely by apostrophe.