Today we’re going to learn about gender in grammar. In English, words can be either masculine (referring to males) or feminine (referring to females). Understanding these differences will help us communicate more clearly.
Let’s look at some common pairs of masculine and feminine words:
Important Rules to Remember
- Most animal names have different words for male and female
- Many professions traditionally had different forms (like waiter/waitress), though today we often use gender-neutral terms
- Some words add ‘-ess’ to make them feminine (host → hostess)
- Family relationships often have completely different words for males and females
