These are short forms used to show gender types:
M → Masculine
F → Feminine
C → Common Gender
N → Neuter Gender
1. Types of Gender in English
(1) Masculine Gender
Refers to male persons or male animals.
Examples: boy, man, king, father, tiger, actor.
(2) Feminine Gender
Refers to female persons or female animals.
Examples: girl, woman, queen, mother, tigress, actress.
(3) Common Gender
Refers to beings that may be either male or female.
The gender is not specified.
Examples: child, student, teacher, leader, doctor, friend.
(4) Neuter Gender
Refers to non-living objects, places, and ideas.
Examples: pen, table, school, river, book, honesty, India.
2. Formation of Feminine Gender
English forms feminine gender in several ways:
1. By Completely Changing the Word
boy → girl
king → queen
man → woman
2. By Adding a Suffix
actor → actress
waiter → waitress
host → hostess
3. By Changing a Part of the Word
hero → heroine
tiger → tigress
4. By Using an Entirely Different Word
father → mother
husband → wife
5. In Compound Words
Only the gendered part changes:
grandfather → grandmother
landlord → landlady
3. Gender and Pronouns
Pronouns also reflect gender:
he → masculine
she → feminine
they → common (gender-neutral)
it → neuter
Modern English frequently uses they as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun.
4. Historical Background of Gender in English
Old English originally had a more complex gender system—masculine, feminine, and neuter—similar to many European languages. Over centuries, grammatical gender simplified, but traces remain:
man (masculine)
woman (feminine)
child (originally neuter)
Some nouns still preserve traditional gender forms, such as actor/actress or host/hostess. However, modern English increasingly prefers gender-neutral vocabulary (performer, firefighter, police officer).
Gender-Neutral Language
English today encourages the use of gender-neutral terms to promote clarity, equality, and inclusiveness.
Examples:
actor (instead of actor/actress)
police officer (instead of policeman/policewoman)
chairperson (instead of chairman)
Gender-Neutral Pronouns
they (widely accepted)
This development is particularly important for individuals who do not identify strictly as male or female.
Gender Beyond Biological Sex
In English, gender is not always tied to biological sex.
For example:
doctor, nurse, teacher, leader, scientist
These words do not indicate gender, but society may associate them with stereotypes.
Understanding this helps avoid biased language and promotes fair representation.
