GRAMMAR
Gender: Masculine and Feminine Nouns
Grammatical gender
Grammatical gender is a system of noun classification. A common gender classification includes masculine and feminine categories. Masculine nouns are words for men, boys and male animals. Feminine nouns are words for women, girls and female animals.
Masculine and feminine nouns
Masculine | Feminine |
---|---|
actor | actress |
author | authoress |
bachelor | spinster |
boy | girl |
bridegroom | bride |
brother | sister |
conductor | conductress |
count | countess |
czar | czarina |
dad | mum |
daddy | mummy |
duke | duchess |
man | woman |
emperor | empress |
father | mother |
god | goddess |
grandfather | grandmother |
heir | heiress |
hero | heroine |
host | hostess |
husband | wife |
king | queen |
man | woman |
master | mistress |
murderer | murderess |
nephew | niece |
poet | poetess |
policeman | policewoman |
prince | princess |
sir | madam |
son | daughter |
uncle | aunt |
wizard | witch |
waiter | waitress |
Common gender nouns
Some nouns are used for both males and females. These nouns are referred to as common gender nouns.
Examples
- baby,
- bird,
- cat,
- cattle,
- child,
- companion,
- comrade,
- cousin,
- dancer,
- deer,
- friend,
- guardian,
- guest,
- infant,
- owner,
- parent,
- passenger,
- pig,
- president,
- pupil,
- relative,
- sheep,
- singer,
- student,
- swan,
- teacher,
Animals
With animals, there is one general word for the animal. However, many species of animals, particularly those domesticated, have been given specific names for the male and the female.
animal | masculine | feminine |
---|---|---|
rabbit | buck | doe |
horse | stallion | mare |
sheep | ram | ewe |
pig | boar | sow |
chicken | rooster | hen |
duck | drake | duck |
cattle | bull | cow |
goose | gander | goose |
fox | fox | vixen |
tiger | tiger | tigress |
lion | lion | lioness |