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Answer: The feminine form of Noun ‘nephew’ is niece. Thus, the correct answer is option C. niece. While nephew refers to the son of one’s sibling, ‘niece’ refers to the daughter of one’s sibling. This distinction is essential in English grammar, especially when discussing family relationships.
Complete Explanation:
In English, nouns often have masculine and feminine forms to distinguish between genders. For example:
Masculine: nephew, brother, king
Feminine: niece, sister, queen
The word ‘nephew’ originates from the Old French word ‘neveu,’ which itself comes from the Latin ‘nepos,’ meaning grandson or descendant. Over time, ‘nephew’ evolved to specifically mean the son of one’s sibling. Its feminine counterpart, ‘niece,’ comes from the Old French ‘niece,’ derived from the Latin ‘neptis,’ meaning granddaughter or female descendant.
Why Not the Other Options?
Let’s break down why the other options are incorrect:
A. she-nephew: This is not a valid word in English. Adding ‘she-’ to a noun to make it feminine is not a standard grammatical practice.
B. nephewess: While ‘-ess’ is a suffix used to create feminine forms of some nouns (e.g., “actor” → “actress”), it doesn’t apply to nephew.
D. nephewette: The suffix ‘-ette’ is sometimes used to denote a smaller or feminine version of a noun (e.g., kitchen → kitchenette), but it’s not used for ‘nephew.’
Examples of Opposite Gender in English
Here are some common masculine-feminine noun pairs:
Husband – Wife
Uncle – Aunt
Boy – Girl
King – Queen
To remember the feminine form of ‘nephew,’ associate ‘niece’ with ‘nice.’ Think of your niece as someone nice in your family! Additionally, practice using both words in sentences:
My nephew loves playing football.
My niece enjoys painting.
Common Doubts in English
