Marry (結婚) 可當及物和不及物動詞用,但通常用作及物動詞,後接受詞。Divorce (離婚) 的用法亦同。例如:
- Amy married a wealthy old man last month. (艾美上個月嫁給一個有錢的老頭)
- Last year he divorced his second wife. (去年他跟他第二任太太離婚了)
然而,在正式文體中,它們都用作不及物動詞。例如:
- He did not marry until he was forty. (他直到四十歲才結婚)
- John and Mary divorced two years ago. (約翰和瑪麗兩年前離婚了)
在非正式的口說英語中,若沒有受詞,我們係使用 get married 和 get divorced 來表示「結婚」和「離婚」。例如:
- My son and his girlfriend are getting married in Hawaii. (我兒子和他女友將在夏威夷結婚)
- The couple finally got divorced last year. (那對夫妻去年終於離婚了)
Be married 和 be divorced 可表示結婚和離婚的狀態。例如:
- We’ve been married for nearly 40 years. (他們已結婚快 40 年)
- They’re divorced now. (他們現在已離婚)