Masc And Fem Adjectives

[megpeg118]

I Need Some Help! What Is The Only English Adjective That Takes An 'e' With A Feminine And Does Not Take One With A Male Article?

[Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim]

Originally Posted by megpeg118

I Need Some Help! What Is The Only English Adjective That Takes An 'e' With A Feminine And Does Not Take One With A Male Article?

May be blond(e) is the only one. This is because it is taken from French. This difference doesn't apply any more in English.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim

May be blond(e) is the only one. This is because it is taken from French. This difference doesn't apply any more in English.

blond/blonde is the one I imagine your question is looking for, although there is also naïf/naïve - another French pair - and maybe others. (I'm not too sure about the 'doesn't apply any more' bit . There are words that are marked for gender; that's what this thread is about.)

When these adjectives become nouns they retain the gender marking: a blonde woman is 'a blonde'.

b

[Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim]

Originally Posted by BobK

blond/blonde is the one I imagine your question is looking for, although there is also naïf/naïve - another French pair - and maybe others. (I'm not too sure about the 'doesn't apply any more' bit . There are words that are marked for gender; that's what this thread is about.)
When these adjectives become nouns they retain the gender marking: a blonde woman is 'a blonde'.
b

1. The adjective blond/blonde is given in most dictionaries as alternatives without any difference in gender. This is perhaps because blond(e) is more often applied to women than men

2. The adjective naif can be only found in OED. Other dictionaries give only naive. Naif has to be seen as outdated now and naive is neutral in gender. English has already done away with French gender remnants.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim

1. The adjective blond/blonde is given in most dictionaries as alternatives without any difference in gender. This is perhaps because blond(e) is more often applied to women than men
...

... and because 'blond' can only ever be applied to men:

He waited every day for his big ugly blond torturer to return to his cell.

In that context, blonde would simply be comical.

b

[CHOMAT]

I was thinking about Royal and Royale which appears in American English. Royale must have lost its adjectival nature because of its unusual postposition : Bugatti royale, battle royale . There is also royale a kind of custard...