Unit 2.1
Feminine Noun formation
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Introduction
Nouns refer to a person, place, thing, event, substance or quality.
We can form a feminine version from a masculine noun when the person we’re talking about is a woman.
Form
Feminine nouns can be formed from masculine ones by just adding a suffix. The various cases of the formation of feminine nouns are: regular and irregular.
Regular
In most cases we obtain the feminine form by adding –ess to the masculine form.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| Count | Countess |
| Host | Hostess |
| Manager | Manageress |
Irregular
But we can find some exceptions that regularly occur:
- Nouns with suffix –tor or –ter: change to –tr and add –ess;
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| Actor | Actress |
| Waiter | Waitress |
- Nouns with suffix –e: add –ss;
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| Prince | Princess |
- Nouns with suffix stressed vowel + consonant: double the consonant and add –ess.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| God | Goddess |
Example
Regular:
- The countess gave birth at eleven.
- Our hostess is a nice woman.
- The manageress checks the rooms at weekends.
Irregular:
- She is my favourite actress.
- This girls is a waitress.
- The princess got married and lived happily ever after.
- Athena is an ancient goddess.
Use
We use feminine nouns when the person we’re talking about is a woman, and the noun has a possible feminine version.
There are exceptions and irregularities that need to be studied by heart.
Summary
It is possible to obtain the feminine version of nouns from masculine forms. In most cases, we are able to do it by simply adding an -ess.
For example:
— “Lion” ⇒ “Lioness” = We add -ess at the end of the noun.
However, there are some irregularities within feminine formation, depending on the ending of the nouns.
For example:
— With suffix -tor or -ter, we change –tor to –tr and add -ess: “Conductor” ⇒ “Conductress“.
— With suffix -e, we add -ss: “Prince” ⇒ “Princess“.
— With suffix stressed vowel + consonant, we double the consonant -d and add -ess: “God” ⇒ “Goddess“.
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.
Exercises
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