What is a primary use of an apostrophe?

The primary use of an apostrophe is to denote possession and contraction. When indicating possession, an apostrophe is used to show that something belongs to someone or something, such as in the phrase "the dog's bone," where the apostrophe indicates that the bone belongs to the dog. In terms of contractions, an apostrophe replaces omitted letters to create a shorter form of words, such as in "can't" for "cannot" or "it's" for "it is." This dual purpose of the apostrophe is fundamental in both written communication and understanding grammatical relationships in sentences.

The other choices involve different punctuation marks or concepts. For instance, quotation marks are used for direct speech or citations, lists are typically separated by commas or semicolons, and exclamatory sentences are indicated with exclamation marks. Thus, the use of an apostrophe specifically for possession and contraction is the most accurate and relevant answer.