Page 27 - English Grammar - 5

Let’s Learn Formation of Feminine Nouns

There are three ways in which a feminine noun can be formed from a masculine

noun.

We add -ess to the masculine gender with or without making any changes to the
spelling.

Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine

duke duchess master mistress
God Goddess priest priestess

host hostess prince princess

hunter huntress shepherd shepherdess
author authoress tiger tigress

poet poetess waiter waitress

We change a masculine noun into a feminine noun by using a different word altogether.

Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine

brother sister hero heroine

bull cow stallion mare
cock/rooster hen husband wife

drake duck king queen

drone bee man woman
fox vixen nephew niece

gander goose son daughter

gentleman lady uncle aunt

Sometimes, we change the masculine part of a compound word into feminine.

Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine

grandfather grandmother milkman milkmaid

grandson granddaughter peacock peahen

landlord landlady headmaster headmistress Gender

R
Rememberemember

Some nouns like sun, summer, winter and time are used as masculine gender.
Some nouns like moon, earth, spring and autumn are used as feminine gender.

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