Divorce – refers to the legal procedure whereby a marriage is formally ended and partners become single once more under the law. Used as a noun, it is used to refer to the process itself or the act of divorcing; as a verb, it means to undergo this process.
What is the Proper Pronunciation of “Divorce”?
Audio (UK):
Audio (US):
The two syllables have the stress on the second syllable only: di-VORCE. The vowel of the stressed syllable is the long /ɔː/ sound, just like in the words “force,” “more” and “floor”. The vowel of the first syllable is not stressed and should be short, thus pronounced more like /dɪ/.
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“Divorce” as a Verb: Full Tense Table
As a verb, the term “divorce” is quite regular in terms of conjugation, although there is one thing to remember about its spelling. The ending letter “e” should be omitted when adding “-ing”: “divorcing,” not “divorceing.” This is the basic rule in English regarding verbs that end in an “e” that isn’t pronounced, and it covers hundreds of verbs.
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Tense |
Structure |
Example |
|---|---|---|
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Present Simple |
subject + divorce/divorces |
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Present Continuous |
subject + am/is/are + divorcing |
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Present Perfect |
subject + have/has + divorced |
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Present Perfect Continuous |
subject + have/has been + divorcing |
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Past Simple |
subject + divorced |
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Past Continuous |
subject + was/were + divorcing |
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Past Perfect |
subject + had + divorced |
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Past Perfect Continuous |
subject + had been + divorcing |
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Future Simple |
subject + will + divorce |
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Future Continuous |
subject + will be + divorcing |
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Future Perfect |
subject + will have + divorced |
By December,
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Future Perfect Continuous |
subject + will have been + divorcing |
By next month,
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“Divorce” as a Noun
The word “divorce” is among those few English terms that can function effectively both as a noun and a verb without requiring any alteration of spelling whatsoever, making it quite elegant for use but somewhat difficult for students who have to distinguish whether the term is acting as a noun or a verb in a particular sentence.
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Form |
Example |
|---|---|
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Indefinite: a divorce |
She went through
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Definite: the divorce |
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Plural: divorces |
There were three
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With adjective |
It was an
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What Mistakes to Avoid with the word “Divorce”
This is where you will find the mistakes made by learners in writing and speaking, including prepositions as well as verb forms. Many mistakes arise as a result of translating native language forms into English. Go through each one carefully.
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Why? |
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|---|---|---|
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She divorced with her husband.
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She divorced her husband.
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“Divorce” is transitive. No preposition between verb and object. |
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They divorced each other from.
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They divorced.
They got divorced.
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“Divorce” does not need “from” or “each other.” The mutual meaning is built in. |
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He made a divorce.
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He filed for / got a divorce.
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“Make a divorce” is a direct translation error. Use “get,” “file for,” or “go through” a divorce. |
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She is divorce.
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She is divorced.
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The adjective describing the state is “divorced” (past participle), not the base form. |
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They have been going through a divorce since two years.
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They have been going through a divorce for two years.
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“Since” is for a point in time; “for” is for a duration. Use present perfect continuous + “for.” |
“Divorce” in Spanish, French, and German
Learn about the translations of this word in other languages. Listen and repeat.
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Language |
Noun |
Verb |
|---|---|---|
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el divorcio |
divorciarse (de) |
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le divorce |
divorcer (d’avec) |
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die Scheidung |
sich scheiden lassen |
