Usage of ’divorce’

Do you use “DIVORCE“ correctly? Join @listen_in_english to get more useful info! Hey friends! 👋 Today, I want to talk about an important topic that affects many people’s lives: divorce. 💔 This word carries significant emotional weight and can often be surrounded by confusion and misconceptions. But for me, as an ESL teacher, it poses even more difficulty as students tend to use this word with various prepositions. In today’s post, I want to help clarify this issue once and for all! First things first, “divorce“ can function both as a verb and a noun. DIVORCE as a VERB: Let’s first delve into how we should use the word “divorce“ as a verb and whether we can pair it with the prepositions “from“ and “with.“ When “divorce“ is used as a verb, it is typically used WITHOUT any prepositions when we talk about families. For example: ➡ “She divorced him and went away in search of a better life.“ ➡ “Elon Musk divorced Justine Musk back in 2008.“ In these cases, we simply use “divorce“ followed by the person who is being divorced. No prepositions are needed. However, if you say that one thing cannot be divorced FROM another, you mean that the two things cannot be considered as different and separate entities. For example: ➡ “Religion cannot be divorced from morality.“ ➡ “Gratitude cannot be divorced from joy.“ In these cases, we use “divorce from“ to express the inseparable nature of the two things. When talking about concepts or ideas, “divorce from“ is used to emphasize their connection. Now, let’s talk about the usage of “with.“ When “divorce“ is used as a verb, it is not typically followed by the preposition “with.“ The use of “with“ after “divorce“ is uncommon and not standard. DIVORCE as a NOUN: When “divorce“ is used as a noun, we can use the preposition “from.“ Here are some examples: ➡ “She got a divorce from her husband after years of unhappiness.“ ➡ “They finalized their divorce from each other amicably and with mutual respect.“ ➡ “She obtained a divorce from her spouse on grounds of infidelity and betrayal.“ In these cases, “divorce from“ is used to indicate the formal end of a marriage or the separation of two individuals. However, when it comes to “divorce with,“ if you search in corpora or databases, you may find a few instances. But be cautious and read thoroughly, as “with“ introduces additional circumstances and complications, but it is not used to describe people. For example: ➡ “She experienced a divorce with custody battles over their children.“ ➡ “They decided to go through a divorce with the support of a mediator to ensure a fair settlement.“ ➡ “The couple faced a divorce with emotional turmoil and sought therapy to navigate the process.“ In these cases, “divorce with“ is used to describe divorces accompanied by specific issues or challenges, but not involving people directly. I hope this clears up any confusion regarding the use of “divorce“ and its prepositions. Remember, when using “divorce“ as a verb, no prepositions are typically needed when talking about families. “Divorce from“ is used as a noun when referring to the end of a marriage, and “divorce with“ describes divorces with additional circumstances or complications. If you have any more questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask! Let’s help each other improve our language skills. 🌟💬