Premarital Agreements 课文结构分析(text structure analysis)

The essay focuses on one social phenomenon: prenups or premarital agreements. The author uses many different writing techniques such as general-specific details and general-examples to tell us what prenups are, who want prenups, the points to be taken care of before signing prenups and finally a general evaluation of prenups.


    The whole passage can be roughly divided into 4 parts:
    1. The first part is made up of 4 paragraphs, from Paragraph 1 to Paragraph 4. Paragraph 1 is a humorous beginning — crazy clauses of premarital agreements, or a joke about what prenups are about. Then the author corrects himself by saying that most of the prenups are about how financial assets will be divided up if a couple divorces. Then Paragraph 3 deals with the general definition of prenups: premarital agreements are designed to address the division of financial assets when a couple put an end to their marriage. And prenups are negotiated by lawyers for the prospective spouses, and signed before a marriage ceremony. Paragraph 4 is just one example of prenups: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis won $26 million through her prenups with her second husband Aristotle Onassis.


    2. The second part consists of 4 paragraphs, from Paragraph 5 to Paragraph 8. The 4 paragraphs are about who need to have prenups. The author goes into detail to talk about 4 types of people who need to have prenups before a marriage.


    3. The third part has 6 paragraphs, from Paragraph 9 to Paragraph 14. The 6 paragraphs deal with what points should be taken care of when one goes into a premarital agreement. 


    4. The fourth part is made up of 2 paragraphs, Paragraph 15 and Paragraph 16. They are about the general evaluations of prenups, one negative and the other positive. 

Who want prenups?     _____________________________________________________________    　Prenups for those who will be involved in great economic consequences in a divorce and those who want to remarry.   Para. 5 Prenups for those who have accumulated considerable wealth, have already been stung once, and want to reduce their exposure to future problems.   Para. 6 Prenups for those who want to shield assets to be passed on to children and grandchildren.  Para. 7 Prenups for those who has, or is in line for, great inherited wealth or a family business, especially if the future partner has little or nothing at all. Para. 8   Paras. 5-8

Some points to be taken care of regarding prenups.     _____________________________________________________________      Paras. 9-14  1. Proper guidelines are necessary.  2. A lawyer is required to write the document.  3. Do not use the same lawyer as your future spouse does.  Para. 9 Do not sign a prenuptial agreement under pressure.  Para. 10 Two examples of not taking the advice. Para. 11  Para. 10-11 Watch out that a dispute of carrying out prenups could happen if a couple decides to divorce while living abroad with different passports.  Para. 12 An example of Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s divorce.  Para. 13  Paras. 12-13 An understanding of the nature of prenups: prenups are business agreements. Para. 14

Evaluations of prenups.                          ________________________________________     　Prenups sometimes may help save a couple from a terrible marriage.  Para. 15 Prenups sometimes prove to be of no use to some happy marriages. Para. 16   Paras. 15-16