GENDER – NOUN

There are four genders in English:

a) Masculine Gender for words representing males: boy, man, duke, son, etc.

b) Feminine Gender for words representing females: girl, woman, mother, etc.
c) Neuter Gender for inanimate objects: table, book, umbrella, door, etc.
d) Common Gender for either sex: student, reader, cousin, friend, etc.

FORM.  The feminine can be formed:

1. By adding "ess" to the masculine (sometimes with other slight changes):
MASCULINE FEMININE
actor actress master mistress
Baron Baroness murderer murderess
Count Countess priest priestess
Duke Duchess Prince Princess
Emperor Empress poet poetess
giant giantess shepherd shepherdess
heir heiress steward stewardess
host hostess tiger tigress
lion lioness waiter waitress
manager manageress

2. By use of different words:

MASCULINE FEMININE
bachelor spinster/ husband wife
bachelorette King Queen
boy girl lad lass
brother sister lord lady
bull cow lover mistress
cock hen man woman
dog bitch monk nun
drake duck nephew nice
father mother sir lady, madam
fox vixen son daughter
friar nun tutor governess
gander goose uncle aunt
gentleman lady wizard witch
horse mare

3. By prefixing or suffixing a word:

PERSON
MASCULINE FEMININE
boy-friend girl-friend
grandfather grandmother
great grandfather great grandmother
grandson granddaughter
great grandson great granddaughter
father-in-law mother-in-law
brother-in-law sister-in-law
son-in-law daughter-in-law
landlord landlady
man-friend woman-friend
manservant maidservant
male-cousin female-cousin
step-father step-mother
step-son step-daughter
Godfather Godmother
Godson Goddaughter

ANIMALS

MASCULINE FEMININE
he she
tom (cat) tib (cat)
tom (elephant) tib (elephant)
bull cow

BIRDS

cock-sparrow hen-sparrow
cock-pigeon hen-pigeon
peacock peahen

4. Foreign feminines:

MASCULINE FEMININE
fiancé fiancée
hero heroine

5. The only cases in which the masculine is formed from the feminine are:

MASCULINE FEMININE
bridegroom bride
widower widow

Source: http://www.oocities.org/collegepark/Square/6264/index166.htm