Gender is a category of noun. A noun can have a masculine, a feminine, or a neuter gender.
In English language there is no grammatical gender, but logical division of nouns according to sex.
Examples
Masculine /ˈmaskjʊlɪn/ – male beings
Feminine /ˈfɛmɪnɪn/ – female beings
Neuter /ˈnjuːtə/ – things or ideas
Gender English Grammar
Gender may be indicated by:
Different words:
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| father | mother |
| boy | girl |
| gentleman | lady |
| cock | hane |
| horse | mare |
By formation of compounds with different words:
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| son-in-law | daughter-in-law |
| landlord | landlady |
| gentleman | lady |
| he-bear | she-bear |
By adding -ss to the masculine:
| Masculine | Feminine (-ess) |
|---|---|
| lion | lioness |
| author | authoress |
| host | hostess |
| he-bear | she-bear |
By changing -or or -er into -ress:
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| tiger | tigress |
| actor | actress |
| waiter | waitress |
A considerable number of nouns in English may denote either males or females:
| singer | slave | artist | person |
| writer | parent | lover | witness |
| student | friend | prisoner | child |
