Can one say "impregnated a student"?

Question

During the course they dismissed one of  the lecturers because he impregnated a student. Is their perhaps a better way of saying this?

MountainHiker · Accepted Answer

Ahhh, yes, there are better ways of phrasing your sentence.

Original: During the course they dismissed one of the lecturers because he impregnated a student.

Revisions

1) During the course they dismissed one of the lecturers because he had inappropriate relations with a student.

2) During the course they dismissed one of the lecturers because he had sexual relations with a student.

3) During the course they dismissed one of the lecturers because he had inappropriate sexual relations with a student.

4) During the course they dismissed one of the lecturers because he had an inappropriate relationship with a student.

5) During the course they dismissed one of the lecturers because he had a sexual relationship with a student.

6) During the course they dismissed one of the lecturers because he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student.

If it were me, I'd go with either 1 or 2.

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Using GuruNet.com

re·la·tion (ri-la'sh?n)
n.
1) A logical or natural association between two or more things; relevance of one to another; connection: the relation between smoking and heart disease.
2) The connection of people by blood or marriage; kinship.
3) A person connected to another by blood or marriage; a relative.
4) The way in which one person or thing is connected with another: the relation of parent to child.
5) relations
The mutual dealings or connections of persons, groups, or nations in social, business, or
5a) diplomatic matters: international relations.
5b) Sexual intercourse.
b) Reference; regard: in relation to your inquiry.
7)
7a) The act of telling or narrating.
7b) A narrative; an account.
8) Law. The principle whereby an act done at a later date is considered to have been done on a prior date.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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See 5b.

Hope that helps.

Lomas · Answer

Thanks, but neither of the sentences refer to the girl getting pregnant?

MountainHiker · Answer

You're right. But if you are complaining about a professor, I am not sure that I would want to go too far. Admittedly, saying he had sexual relations is going pretty far.

2) During the course they dismissed one of the lecturers because he had sexual relations with a student.

Modify to...

2a) During the course they dismissed one of the lecturers because he had sexual relations with a student and is now a new father.

2b) During the course they dismissed one of the lecturers because he became the father of one of the student's children.

Or if you want to more explicit and graphic.

2c) During the course they dismissed one of the lecturers because he had sexual relations with a student that resulted in a pregnancy.

You can use these three sentences as templates to further modify to suit your own needs.

You can use "impregnated." When I hear that word used, I always think of farm animals. Maybe it is just me. Lol. Cows and horse are impregnated purposefully for breeding purposes. But it is still a legitimate word, so you shouldn't necessarily be swayed by my biases.

For what it is worth, usually when you write about personal stuff like this, the other person is fully aware of the details as well, and he or she will appreciate it if you are able to express yourself in a delicate or reasonable fashion. So that is why I avoid "impregnate" as it is strong. Again, everyone is different as to how they would say things. Me, I would tend to use softer language, knowing that the reader is able to "read between the lines" easily.

I hope that helps.

Can one say "impregnated a student"?

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