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Questions and Answers
Which suffix is commonly used to form the feminine noun from the masculine noun 'hero'?
Which suffix is commonly used to form the feminine noun from the masculine noun 'hero'?
Which type of gender includes nouns like 'tree'?
Which type of gender includes nouns like 'tree'?
What is the correct feminine noun for 'ram'?
What is the correct feminine noun for 'ram'?
Which of these nouns is NOT of common gender?
Which of these nouns is NOT of common gender?
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What is the feminine gender of the compound noun 'stepson'?
What is the feminine gender of the compound noun 'stepson'?
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Which option correctly transitions a masculine noun to a feminine noun by changing the first part of a compound word?
Which option correctly transitions a masculine noun to a feminine noun by changing the first part of a compound word?
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Which word pair is correct with regard to gender?
Which word pair is correct with regard to gender?
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Which noun is no longer used as a feminine form?
Which noun is no longer used as a feminine form?
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What suffix would you add to 'milk' to form a feminine noun?
What suffix would you add to 'milk' to form a feminine noun?
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Which of the following collective nouns is considered to be of the neuter gender?
Which of the following collective nouns is considered to be of the neuter gender?
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What is the appropriate feminine form of 'duke'?
What is the appropriate feminine form of 'duke'?
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Identify the correct feminine noun for 'emperor' after altering its spelling.
Identify the correct feminine noun for 'emperor' after altering its spelling.
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Which noun is of the neuter gender?
Which noun is of the neuter gender?
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Which feminine noun is correctly formed from its masculine counterpart?
Which feminine noun is correctly formed from its masculine counterpart?
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Which of the following is NOT a common-gender noun?
Which of the following is NOT a common-gender noun?
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What is the feminine form of the masculine noun 'tiger' with altered spelling?
What is the feminine form of the masculine noun 'tiger' with altered spelling?
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Which of the following masculine nouns correctly matches its feminine form?
Which of the following masculine nouns correctly matches its feminine form?
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Which of the following is a correct pair of masculine and feminine nouns?
Which of the following is a correct pair of masculine and feminine nouns?
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Choose the correct feminine form for 'priest' with the appropriate suffix.
Choose the correct feminine form for 'priest' with the appropriate suffix.
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Study Notes
Types of Gender
- Masculine nouns refer to males, e.g. king
- Feminine nouns refer to females, e.g. queen
- Common nouns refer to both males and females, e.g. doctor
- Neuter nouns are neither male nor female, typically referring to objects or non-living things, e.g. tree
Forming Feminine Nouns
- Adding suffixes to masculine nouns can form feminine nouns:
- Adding "-ess" or "-ine"
- Adding "-woman" or "-maid"
- Examples:
- King → Queen
- Hero → Heroine
- Milkman → Milkmaid
- Nouns derived from compound words can be made feminine by changing the first part of the compound word, e.g. peacock → peahen, stepson → stepdaughter
Nouns of Common Gender
- The following nouns are considered to be of common gender:
- Child
- Parent
- Reporter
- Companion
- Person
- Student
- Cousin
- Player
- Teacher
- Friend
- Pupil
- Tutor
Nouns that are no longer in use
- Authoress and Poetess are no longer used, and the words author, poet, and actor are now considered to be of common gender.
Using he or she for pet animals
- Pet animals are typically referred to as "he" or "she" depending on their gender.
Practice Exercises
- The feminine gender of the following nouns is:
- Waiter → Waitress
- Monk → Nun
- Stag → Hind
- Cock → Hen
Nouns: Gender
- A noun that refers to a male is classified as masculine gender, e.g., boy, man, brother, father, king, dog.
- A noun that refers to a female is classified as feminine gender, e.g., girl, woman, sister, mother, queen, bitch.
- A noun that can refer to both males and females is classified as common gender, e.g., baby, child, parent, teacher, pupil, student, person, doctor, player, cousin, friend, neighbour, bird.
- A noun that refers to a non-living thing is classified as neuter gender, e.g., book, pen, chair, car, wood, gold, school.
Collective Nouns
- Collective nouns like crew, flock, class, army refer to collections of living beings.
- Despite referring to living beings, collective nouns are considered neuter gender.
Formation of the Feminines of Nouns
- There are three ways to form feminine nouns.
- One way is to add -ess to the masculine noun, e.g., heir → heiress, host → hostess, priest → priestess, baron → baroness, lion → lioness.
- Sometimes the spelling of the word may need to be altered slightly before adding -ess, e.g., duke → duchess, emperor → empress, god → goddess, hunter → huntress, master → mistress, governor → governess, prince → princess, tiger → tigress, waiter → waitress.
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Description
Learn about the different types of nouns, including masculine, feminine, common, and neuter nouns, and how to form feminine nouns by adding suffixes.
