Masculine and Feminine Nouns
Unlike many other languages, English nouns do not generally have grammatical gender. However, there are some nouns specifically referring to people and animals that have masculine (male) and feminine (female) forms.
| Masculine | Feminine | Gender Neutral (Modern) |
|---|---|---|
| actor | actress | actor (used for both today) |
| waiter | waitress | server |
| prince | princess | royal |
| uncle | aunt | relative |
- The prince and princess greeted the crowd.
- My uncle lives in New York, and my aunt lives in Boston.
Modern Usage (Neutral Nouns)
In modern English, there is a strong movement toward using gender-neutral nouns to avoid discrimination and to be more inclusive.
-
Instead of policeman/policewoman ➔ use police officer
-
Instead of fireman ➔ use firefighter
-
Instead of steward/stewardess ➔ use flight attendant
-
The flight attendant showed us where to put our bags.
-
We need to hire a new police officer for this district.