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Old 12-13-2003, 06:54 AM   #5 (permalink)
ratbastid
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I normally think like this: an actress is a female actor. If you only get one word to describe her and her job, and if it matters to communicate her gender, then it's "actress". But in a sentence where her gender is clear--or in cases where it's irrelevent--I use "actor".

"Who's your favorite actress?" is a legitimate usage. "Liv Tyler is the finest actor of her generation," is also a legitimate usage, though arguable.

That's a for-instance. I use the same rule with "waiter" and other like role terms.
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