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[초급문법] UNIT 2.1 - Kinds and function & Gender
최고관리자  |  14-05-05 13:19

10. Kinds and function

A. There are four kinds of noun in English:
Common nouns: dog. man, table
Proper nouns: France, Madrid, Mrs Smith, Tom
Abstract nouns: beauty, chanty, courage, fear. joy
Collective nouns: crowd, flock, group, swarm, team

B. A noun can function as:
The subject of a verb: Tom arrived.
The complement of the verbs be, become, seem: Tom is an actor.
The object of a verb: I saw Tom.
The object of a preposition: / spoke to Tom.
A noun can also be in the possessive case: Tom's books.

11. Gender

A. Masculine: men, boys and male animals (pronoun he/they).
Feminine: women, girls and female animals (pronoun she/they).
Neuter: inanimate things, animals whose sex we don't know and sometimes babies whose sex
we don't know (pronoun it/they).

Exceptions: ships and sometimes cars and other vehicles when regarded with affection or respect
are considered feminine. Countries when referred to by name are also normally considered feminine.
The ship struck an iceberg, which tore a huge hole in her side.
Scotland lost many of her bravest men in two great rebellions.

B. Masculine/feminine nouns denoting people

1. Different forms;

(a) boy, girl/ gentleman, lady/ son, daughter
bachelor, spinster/ husband, wife/ uncle, aunt
bridegroom, bride/ man, woman/ widower, widow
father, mother/ nephew, niece

Main exceptions:
baby, infant, relative
child, parent, spouse
cousin, relation, teenager

(b) duke, duchess/ king, queen/ prince, princess/ earl, countess/ lord, lady

2. The majority of nouns indicating occupation have the same form:
artist, cook, driver, guide, assistant, dancer, doctor, etc.

Main exceptions:
actor, actress/ host, hostess/ conductor, conductress/ manager, manageress
heir, Heiress/ steward, stewardess/ hero, heroine/ waiter, waitress

Also salesman, saleswoman etc.,
but sometimes -person is used instead of -man, -woman: salesperson, spokesperson.

C. Domestic animals and many of the larger wild animals have different forms:
bull, cow/ duck, drake/ ram, ewe/ stallion, mare/ cock, hen /gander, goose/
stag, doe/ tiger, tigress/ dog, bitch/ lion, lioness
Others have the same form.