2017-10-25
525
Atlantic Ocean. 
e. When abstract notions are personified, the masculine gender is given to nouns suggesting such ideas as strength, fierceness, etc., while the feminine is associated with the idea of gentleness and beauty, etc.:
Masculine: anger, death, fear, war.
Feminine: spring, peace, kindness, dawn.
e.g. The spring showed herself in all her bashful
beauty.
So the Hail (град) came… He was dressed in
grey and his breath was like ice. (Wilde)
Exercises
Ex.1. Give the feminine of:
bachelor buck giant
gentleman lion heir
monk cock patron
hero dog shepherd
chairman duke sultan
Ex.2. Give the masculine of:
testatrix adventuress bride
wardress ewe empress
countess mistress stewardess
sow vixen widow
witch fiancée usherette
Ex.3. Give the masculine or feminine, as required, of the following nouns or indicate that the noun is of common gender:
marquess mare filly
executor tiger executioner
parent murderer artist
goose traveler uncle
bull waiter duck
Ex.4. Give the masculine or feminine, as required, of the following nouns or indicate that the noun is of common gender:
architect actor baron
bee he-sparrow mayor
Madam musician priest
governess manservant speaker
landlady nanny-goat manager
Ex.5. Explain whether the nouns below denote male or female people or belong to common gender.
An agent, a client, a cousin, a doctor, a mermaid, a friend, a foreigner, a guest, a lawyer, a neighbour, a parent, a journalist, a person, a scientist, a stranger, a student, a visitor, a teacher, a witch, a magician, a clown, a fairy, an amazon, a brunette, a sailor, a spy, a ballet dancer, a ballerina, an angel, a wizard.
Ex. 6. Divide all the names of animals into three columns:
|
|
|
Feminine gender Masculine gender Neuter Gender
Lion, tigress, cow, mare, horse, bull, lioness, parrot, canary, sable, rabbit, dog, eagle, trout, salmon, cockroach, woodworm, elephant, fly, hare, cat, tiger, bee, drone, ram, bitch, ewe, vixen, filly, duck, drake.
