Is it correct to say "she is an actor"? Or should it only be "she is an actress"? I've read the 1st form in an English book, and found it strange...
Thank you very much for your help!
***** NOT A TEACHER *****
(1) I can understand why you feel that it is "strange" to use the
word "actor" for a female who acts.
(2) I assume that you are a young person. Thus, perhaps a bit
of social history would be helpful:
(a) Back in the 1960's and 1970's, various groups felt that they were
not being treated fairly. Women, for example, no longer wanted
sentences such as " I want everyone to bring
his book." Thus, today
you have to say: "I want everyone to bring his/her/their book." If
anyone uses "his," she/he/they will be severely criticized.
(b) When I was young, we had
stewardess, policewoman, waitress, etc.
Today we must say
flight attendant, police officer, server, etc.
(c) A few people wanted to spell "
history" as "
herstory" and
"wo
men" as "wo
myn." Most people, however, felt that this was
going too far.
(d) There are still some people who feel that "Everyone should bring
his book" and "She is a good actress" are fine English that should be
continued to be used. But they have lost the battle.