At a glance
Gender of nouns
- Masculinemale: he
- man, king, father, lion
- Femininefemale: she
- woman, queen, mother, lioness
- Commonmale or female
- child, teacher, friend, doctor
- Neuternot alive: it
- chair, book, tree, house
- Start
- Is it a thing or an idea?YesitThe chair is old. It is broken.
- Do you know it is male?YesheMy uncle is a pilot. He flies planes.
- Do you know it is female?YessheMy aunt is a pilot. She flies planes.
- they (person not known)Someone left their bag here.
Pairs
Three ways to make the feminine
| Way | Masculine → feminine |
|---|---|
| A different word | man → woman, father → mother, king → queen, nephew → niece, bull → cow, horse → mare |
| Add -ess | lion → lioness, prince → princess, host → hostess, waiter → waitress, tiger → tigress |
| Change one part | grandfather → grandmother, landlord → landlady, he-goat → she-goat, policeman → policewoman |
Common gender
These words can be male or female: child, baby, parent, student, teacher, doctor, friend, cousin, person, neighbour.
Neuter gender
The chair is old. It is broken.
The tree is tall. It is 100 years old.
Things as he or she
In stories and poems, writers sometimes call strong things he (the sun) and gentle things she (the moon, the earth, a ship). In everyday English, things are it.
We often call pets he or she: Our cat is 10. She sleeps all day.
Practice
Answer the questions. Get 7 out of 10 to finish this lesson.