Gender in English Grammar: Types, Useful Rules and Examples

Gender in grammar is a classification of nouns and pronouns as masculine, feminine, common, and neuter. In English grammar, the gender of nouns denotes the biological identity of living beings or the classification of non-living objects. Knowing gender is vital for classifying nouns. It is essential for accurate writing and speaking.

In this lesson, we will discuss the definition, types, and examples of it.

Definition of gender in grammar

Gender is the categorisation of a particular noun or pronoun as masculine, feminine, common, or neuter. In English, nouns and pronouns have genders that indicate the sex of living beings or the category of non-living objects. They can be singular or plural.

Types of gender in English grammar

Nouns are differentiated into four categories. Here are the four types of gender in English with examples.

You can easily understand the four types shown above.

Each type plays a unique role. Therefore, this method makes sure that sentences use the correct pronouns and avoid confusion. Even though English has a mainly natural gender system, students can recognise and use gendered words correctly if they know the rules.

Rules to determine genders with examples

Gender helps us to use the correct words while talking about people, animals, or objects. There are some rules for determining gender.

Some rules for determining genders are:

1. Masculine gender (for male people or animals)

Masculine gender denotes male nouns and pronouns.

Common masculine gender examples are man, boy, father, brother, husband, king, uncle, cock, ass, and the pronouns he, his, and him.

Sometimes, we use the masculine gender for objects that symbolise power or strength. For example: ‘the Sun’.

When we form sentences, we should ensure that masculine nouns are matched with the correct pronouns.

Examples of masculine nouns in sentences

• My son found his keyboard under the table.
• His father is a nice person.

In the above sentences, ‘son’ and ‘father’ are masculine, and the pronoun ‘his’ is correctly matched with them.

2. Feminine gender (for female people or animals)

The feminine gender denotes female nouns or pronouns.

Common feminine-gender examples include woman, girl, mother, sister, wife, queen, aunt, hen, jenny, and the pronouns ‘she’ and ‘her’.

Sometimes, we use the feminine gender for objects that symbolise beauty, grace, or kindness. For example, we might use it for objects such as ‘the Moon’ and ‘the Earth’.

While forming sentences, we should ensure that feminine nouns are matched with the correct pronouns.

Examples of feminine nouns in sentences

• My mom loves to sing. She always sings.
• Her daughter is good at painting. She has oil colours.

In the above sentences, ‘mom’ and ‘daughter’ are feminine, and the pronoun ‘she’ is correctly matched with them.

3. Common gender

Common gender denotes words that are either masculine or feminine, like child, student, friend, enemy, etc.

We use the common gender when we want to address someone’s profession instead of their gender. Many professional titles can be used for males and females.

For example: lawyer, doctor, teacher, accountant, singer, musician, servant, etc.

Examples of common nouns in sentences

• The teacher taught the students addition and subtraction using various examples.

In this sentence, the teacher could be male or female, and the pronoun ‘their’ is correctly matched with it.

If we know the teacher is female, we use ‘she’; if the teacher is male, we use ‘he’. Gender is often determined by context rather than the word itself.

4. Neuter gender (for things or ideas that are not alive)

Neuter gender denotes lifeless things. Those are not classified as male or female. Some collective terms, abstract nouns, and vague terms are included in the neuter gender.

Some common neuter gender examples are desk, bus, table, umbrella, city, pencil, chair, fruit, necklace, radio, train, and scissors.

Examples of neuter nouns in sentences

• The computer lost its electrical connection.
• The necklace has its glister.

‘Computer’ and ‘necklace’ are non-living things, so they are neuter, and we used the pronoun ‘its’ to match them.

Changing genders: rules and examples

In the masculine and feminine genders, sometimes it is just a change in one or two letters in the word, an addition of two or more letters to the noun, or, in other cases, the masculine and feminine nouns are two totally different words.

Sometimes, changing the gender of a compound noun requires only the gender-indicating part.

Examples of changing gender

• ‘Lion’ is masculine, and ‘lioness’ is feminine (addition of ‘-ess’)
• ‘Hero’ is masculine, and ‘heroine’ is feminine (addition of ‘-ine’)
• ‘Son’ is masculine, and ‘daughter’ is feminine (completely different words)
• ‘Fox’ is masculine, and ‘vixen’ is feminine (masculine and feminine are totally different)
• ‘Father-in-law’ is masculine, and ‘mother-in-law’ is feminine (changed only the gender-indicating part, ‘father’ to ‘mother’).
• ‘Tiger’ is masculine, and ‘tigress’ is feminine (removed letter and added ‘-ess’)

Find thirty-five more examples of changing gender in the table below.

Metaphorical gender: personification of neuter gender

We often refer to a particular inanimate object as a living thing and personify it.  To put it another way, we treat it as either male or female and show strong emotional attachments. While in standard English, we typically use the pronoun ‘it’ for inanimate objects.

An exception to the rules of natural, biological gender is referred to as a metaphorical gender. It is generally used for poetic effect to show feeling and imagination in poetry.

We often use the masculine gender for a neuter noun that shows a lot of force, strength, power, and violence.

Examples of masculine gender for a neuter noun

The sun, God, winter, summer, time, death, ocean, wave, war, thunder, and storm are examples of neuter nouns for which we use the masculine gender.

On the contrary, we often give the feminine gender to a neuter noun that shows beauty, grace, fertility, gentleness, prettiness, and inferiority.

Examples of feminine gender to a neuter noun

Examples of neuter nouns that use the feminine gender include Nature, Earth, Moon, spring, countries, nations, vehicles such as boats, cars, trains, and ships, as well as concepts like modesty, hope, virtue, truth, humility, justice, pride, mercy, charity, peace, jealousy, fame, liberty, flattery, and luck.

Frequently asked questions about gender in English grammar

1. What is gender in English grammar?

In English grammar, gender refers to the classification of nouns and pronouns as masculine, feminine, common, or neuter. This makes sentences understandable for tests and everyday use and helps you select the appropriate pronouns.

2. What is the definition of gender in grammar?

The classification of a particular noun or pronoun as masculine, feminine, common, or neuter is referred to as gender. The genders of nouns and pronouns in English denote either the category of non-living objects or the sex of living things. They may be multiple or singular.

3. How many genders are there in English grammar?

There are four genders in English grammar:

• Masculine
• Feminine
• Common
• Neuter

3. What are the four types of gender, with examples?

The four types of gender in English grammar are as follows:

• Masculine refers to male, such as father, man, or dog
• Feminine refers to female, such as mother, woman, or bitch
• Common refers to either male or female, such as teacher, student, or doctor
• Neuter  refers to non-living things, such as a table, a chair, or a pen