Gender nouns in English
1. Nouns used in their plural forms
In English he or she is used for people and it for things. But there are some exeptions.
| male (masculine) | female (feminine) |
|---|---|
| brother | sister |
| nephew | niece |
| boyfriend | girlfriend |
| actor | actress |
| waiter | waitress |
There are nouns which have the same form for masculine and feminine, e.g. cousin, doctor, singer, student, teacher. An extra word identifies the gender – boyfriend/girlfriend. The ending -ess indicates a female person – waiter/waitress.
2. Exceptions – Animals
If you know the gender of an animal, you can use he/she for it.
- Where is the cat? She is in the garden.
3. Exceptions – Ships, cars, countries
For ships, cars and countries (when referred to by name) the feminine form is sometimes used, but this is rather obsolete. There is a tendency to use it instead of she.
- The Titanic was a great ship, but she hit an iceberg and sank.