Noun

Concept: Gender

Definition

• Gender is used to tell whether a noun is male or female.
• There are four types of genders into which nouns are classified as follows: masculine, feminine, neuter, and common.

Here, we will discuss masculine, feminine, and neuter gender.

1. Masculine

The names that belong to male persons or animals are known as masculine gender.

For example, boy, father, lion, etc.

a)



b)



c)



Examples:

1. The boy studies in class 5.
2. My father works in a bank.
3. The lion was resting under a tree.
2. Feminine

The names that belong to female persons or animals are known as feminine gender.

For example: girl, mother, lioness, etc.

a)



b)



c)



Examples:

1. The girl in the orange and green dress is my sister.
2. My mother is watching tv.
3. The lioness was protecting her cubs.
3. Neuter

Non living things fall under the neuter gender. Plants are also included under the neuter gender.

For example, table, flower, pen, etc.

a)



b)



c)



Examples:

1. The table is kept in a rectangular room.
2. I bought a new pen for my brother.
3. The flower looks beautiful.

Rules to Change the Gender of the Noun

1. Sometimes a noun is changed from the masculine gender to the feminine gender by adding a suffix like ‘ess’.

Examples:

No.	Masculine	Feminine
a.	Poet	Poetess
b.	Prince	Princess

2. In some cases, the gender of the noun may be changed by changing the second part of the word that indicates the gender

Examples:

No.	Masculine	Feminine
a.	Land lord	Land lady
b.	Step father	Step mother

3. Some genders denote masculine when the suffix ‘man’ is added and feminine when the suffix ‘woman’ is added.

Examples:

No.	Masculine	Feminine
a.	Chairman	Chairwoman
b.	Fireman	Firewoman

Exceptions

Whenever we change the gender of a noun in a sentence, don’t forget to change the pronoun as well.

Incorrect and Correct Usage:

The two girls walking in the park are sisters.

Samantha is her sister.

The woman went to the park with her sister.

The woman went to the park with his sister.