Gender is a category of noun. A noun's gender determines how it behaves with other words. For example:
The man takes his coat.
(The gender of man is masculine. Therefore, the associated possessive adjective must be masculine too, i.e., his.)
The woman lost hers.
(The gender of woman is feminine. Therefore, the associated absolute possessive pronoun must be feminine too, i.e., hers.)
The dog found its own way home.
(The gender of dog is neuter in this example. Therefore, the associated possessive adjective must be neuter too, i.e., its.)
In English, nouns are categorized as masculine, feminine, or neuter depending on their meaning. Most nouns are neuter, unless they obviously refer to something male or female.
Only the third personpronouns (i.e., he, his, she, her, hers, it, and its) reflect gender.
Examples of Gender
Here are some examples of nouns and their genders:
Noun
Gender
Example
Cup
Neuter
Where's my cup? I have lost it.
Boy
Masculine
Has that boy finished his chores?
Princess
Feminine
The princess has eaten hers.
Genders Can Change in English
In many languages (e.g., Russian, Serbo-Croat, and German), the spelling of a noun (as opposed to its meaning) often determines its gender.
For example, if a noun ends -a (in Russian or Serbo-Croat) or ends –heit (in German), then it will be feminine. This is not how it works in English, where gender is directly linked to whether something is male or female. In English, gender can even change. Look at these examples:
Noun
Gender
Example
Dog
Neuter
Where's its bone?
Dog
Masculine
Where's his bone?
Dog
Feminine
Where's her bone?
Feminine Gender for Ships and Machines
Even though they are not literally female, ships and other machines are sometimes affectionately given a feminine gender.
Noun
Gender
Example
boat
Neuter
I have worked on this boat all my life. It is a beauty.
boat
Feminine
I have worked on this boat all my life. She is a beauty.
Masculine Gender for Men and Women
It is a common practice to use a masculine gender in writing to represent
both masculine and feminine. For example:
Each actor must read his line when the light by his name illuminates.
The alternative is very unwieldy:
Each actor/actress must read his/her line when the light by his/her name illuminates.
A Quick Test
This test has questions.
You will score at least 5 points for a correct answer.
You will score bonus points for answering the questions quickly.
