Gender

5 What is Gender in Grammar? – Meaning and Definition Gender indicates whether a particular noun or pronoun is in the male or female form. Though most nouns in the English language do not have a gender, there are nouns related to people and animals which have different genders. “The gender of a noun, pronoun, or adjective is whether it is masculine, feminine, or neuter. A word’s gender can affect its form and behaviour. In English, only personal pronouns such as ‘she’, reflexive pronouns such as ‘itself’, and possessive determiners such as ‘his’ have gender”, according to the Collins Dictionary. According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, the term ‘gender’ is defined as “each of the classes (masculine, feminine, and sometimes neuter) into which nouns, pronouns, and adjectives are divided; the division of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives into these different genders. Different genders may have different endings, etc.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines gender as “a subclass within a grammatical class (such as noun, pronoun, adjective, or verb) of a language that is partly arbitrary but also partly based on distinguishable characteristics (such as shape, social rank, manner of existence, or sex) and that determines agreement with and selection of other words or grammatical forms”. 5.1 What is gender in English grammar? Gender indicates whether a particular noun or pronoun is in the male or female form. Though most nouns in the English language do not have a gender, there are nouns related to people and animals which have different genders. • Masculine gender: indicates a male noun. • Feminine gender: indicates a female noun. • Common gender: indicates nouns that can be either a male or a female. • Neuter gender: indicates nouns that are neither male nor female. They are inanimate objects. 5.1.1.1 Examples of Gender in English Grammar Gender of nouns can be classified as masculine, feminine and the neuter gender. Given below is a table with examples of gender. Masculine Gender Feminine Gender Neuter Gender Man Woman Human Male Female Person Boy Girl Child Chairman Chairwoman Chairperson Brother Sister Sibling Uncle Aunt N/A Husband Wife Spouse Waiter Waitress Server Actor Actress N/A King Queen Ruler Prince Princess N/A Mother Father Parent Grandmother Grandfather Grandparent Grandson Granddaughter Grandchild Gentleman Lady N/A Lord Lady N/A Son Daughter Child Host Hostess N/A Heir Heiress N/A Count Countess N/A Baron Baroness N/A Wizard Witch N/A Nephew Niece N/A Monk Nun N/A Priest Priestess N/A Steward Stewardess N/A Prophet Prophetess N/A Shepherd Shepherdess N/A Poet Poetess N/A Duke Duchess N/A Founder Foundress N/A Master Mistress N/A Seamster Seamstress N/A Hero Heroine N/A Landlord Landlady N/A Salesman Saleswoman Salesperson Viscount Viscountess N/A Him Her Their He She They Gender in Animals Rooster/Cock Hen Chicken Buck Doe N/A Ox Cow N/A Horse Mare N/A Drake Duck N/A Gander Goose N/A Lion Lioness N/A Tiger Tigress N/A Stag Hind N/A Fox Vixen N/A Peacock Peahen N/A Stallion Mare Horse