Chapter 1-2-1: Noun Gender

Grammar > Parts of Speech > Nouns > Noun Gender

Unlike French, English usually does not use gender-specific nouns. Instead, gender is based on the actual physical gender of the noun under discussion. For example, Anglophones would refer to a spider as “it”, not “she.

Many common nouns, like "engineer" or "teacher," can refer to men or women. Once, many English nouns would change form depending on their gender -- for example, a man was called an "author" while a woman was called an "authoress" -- but this use of gender-specific nouns is very rare today. Those that are still used occasionally tend to refer to occupational categories, as in the following sentences:

David Garrick was a very prominent eighteenth-century actor.

Sarah Siddons was at the height of her career as an actress in the 1780s.

The manager was trying to write a want ad, but he couldn't decide whether he was advertising for a "waiter" or a "waitress"

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