Gender
.docxGender
The category of gender isn’t grammatically expressed in English. We can name of a gender of nouns based on:
the lexical meaning of the noun:
Ex: a man — a woman, a boy — a girl,
based on personal pronouns (he, she, it):
Ex: The principal entered the hall and everybody rose to greet her.
based on the suffixes -ess, -ine, -ina, -er, -ette:
Ex: a manager — a manageress, a poet — a poetess…
To be politically correctly we use:
use plural forms:
Ex: Lawyers must pass the bar exam before they begin to practise.
use both pronouns:
Ex: A lawyer must pass the bar exam before he or she can begin to practise.
eliminating the pronouns:
Ex: A lawyer must pass the bar exam before beginning to practise.
using non-sexist words like:
Ex: a chairlady — a chairperson, a congressman — a member of Congress
The use of female gender is traditional with the names of vessels (ships, boats, cruisers, etc.), vehicles (cars, coaches, planes), countries: The new yacht has started on her voyage.
To be politically correct, mind the use of “they”, especially in tag-questions: Everyone tried to do their best. If someone wants to spend their money here, it isn’t up to me to stop them.