dangers of premarital sex by eguriase s. m. okaka

Dangers of Premarital Sex

By Eguriase S. M. Okaka Premarital sex is sexual intercourse practiced by individuals who are unmarried. It usually refers to sexual relations between two people prior to marrying each other. In some culture, the term is used instead of fornication due to the negative meaning association with the latter. Some degree of ambiguity has been linked with premarital sex. Some say it is unclear whether sex between individuals who are legally forbidden from marrying or sexual relations between persons uninterested in marrying could be considered premarital. Therefore, alternative names have been suggested, such as youthful sex, adolescent sex, and young adult sex. Premarital sex comes with some tragic consequences – from the physical to the emotional and the spiritual. Premarital sex may open wide the door of distrust and suspicion. Couples may lose their dignity, honor and mutual respect which they could have enjoyed if they had abstained from sex before marriage. It may be difficult for couples to trust each other after marriage. Suspicious and terrible thoughts may arise such as ‘what about if she/he had slept with many people before me?’ ‘How am I sure she/he will be faithful to me?’, ‘How can I be perfectly sure she/he will not sleep with others after marriage? These thoughts could generate emotional stress and suspicious actions that may eventually blow up a marriage. On the physical plane, premarital sex could increase the risk of pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). Sexual partners may have other partners who may be infected with STDs and these automatically infect sexual partners and the effect continues after marriage leading to divorce or the early death of one or both partners especially if they are infected with HIV/AIDS. Additionally, premarital sex may lead to an unwanted pregnancy. This often provokes multifarious implications. Young partners put themselves and their partners under unnecessary stress because they have to take care of the child born before marriage. In some cases, the male partner might deny the pregnancy or drop out of school to fend for the mother and child. Sometimes true love between couples becomes a far-fetched idea. While some people, cultures or societies may rationalize premarital sex, this practice does not appeal to religious people. They argue that sex is exclusively reserved for married couples – a man and a woman who are legitimately married. That is God’s plan. They also argue that the more promiscuous a person is before marriage, the more likely she/he may commit adultery after marriage. Comprehension questions • Which of the following is NOT another name for premarital sex? a) Youthful sex b) Young adult sex c) Adolescent sex d) Antenatal sex • Which of the following is NOT a consequence of premarital sex? a) Emotional discomfort b) Physical suffering c) STDs d) Spiritual bliss • Which of the following is not supported by the passage? a) There are some doubts about the correct definition of premarital sex. b) Premarital sex may lead to suspicious between couples. c) Sexual partners may be infected with STDs. d) Premarital sex will never lead to divorce. • The word ambiguity used in the first paragraph means a) Charity b) Uncertainty c) Risky d) Amber • The word latter used in the middle of the first paragraph refers to a) Premarital sex b) Fornication c) Cultures d) Marrying • Which of the following is a physical consequence of premarital sex? a) Dignity b) Honor c) Suspicion d) STDs • Which of the following condemn premarital sex? a) Religious people b) Youths c) Married couples d) Some people Summary writing Read the comprehension passage again. Then write out the following paragraph using words from the passage to complete the blanks. Premarital sex is sexual ----------------------- between --------------- people. Premarital sex could have serious negative -------------------. There could be ------------------- and suspicion among partners. Physically, partners could contact ----------------. Divorce may happen after ------------------. Even ------------------- may occur due to ------------- by STDs. Painfully, unwanted -------------------------- may spoil the relationship between ---------------- as well as lead to a drop out from school. Vocabulary Word inference Read the definitions and clues in column A. which words in column B match the definitions and clues in column A? Write your answers.

Homographs There are many words in English that belong to variable class – functioning as nouns in one sense and as verbs or adjectives in another. These words are extremely common in English. They are called homographs. Homographs have different meanings and origins but they but the same spellings. The pronunciation of homographs may be the same, although there are some homographs with slightly different pronunciations depending on the word class. Examples • Minute: Can I speak to you for a minute? In this sentence the word minute is standing as a noun. • Minute: A wrist watch is made up of minute parts. In this sentence the word minute is standing as an adjective. • Close: Our teacher told us to close our eyes. In this sentence the word close is standing as a verb. • Close: Mr. Sofola lives close to the National Assembly. In this sentence the word close is acting as an adverb. • Tears: He noticed a tear in the corner of his sister’s eye. In this sentence the word tear is standing as a noun. • Tear: Tear the packet along dotted lines to open it. In this sentence the word tear is standing as a verb. • Object: There is a small object in my brother’s eye. In this sentence the word object is standing as a noun. • Object: I strongly object to the removal of the petroleum subsidy. In this sentence the word object is standing as a verb. List of homographs

Exercise Identify the part of speech of the underlined homographs in the following pairs of sentences. One has been done for you. 1. a) Make sure you act on those documents. (verb) b) The soldiers committed an act of aggression. (noun) 2. a) Bola has changed his address again. b) The man likes to address me as ‘Sir’. 3. a) My mother will never let anyone know her real age. b) Your father will age first if you don’t take care of him. 4. a) The labor union should call for the minister’s resignation. b) There was a call for the minister’s resignation. 5. a) My lawyer is currently drawing up a contract. b) You can contract typhoid fever by drinking contaminated water. 6. a) The student was charged with using a forged document for her admission. b) The eye witness should document how the crisis occurred. 7. a) The teacher requested the list of names of all those who were present in class. b) They present them with medals every year. 8. a) I need a glass of water. b) If you water your plants, they will grow well. By Eguriase S. M. Okaka