What Is the Masculine Gender? (with Examples)
Masculine gender is one of three genders in English grammar. The three genders for nouns and pronouns are: Here are the associated singular pronouns:| Gender | Pronoun | Possessive Adjective (a type of pronoun) | Absolute Possessive Pronoun |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine pronouns | he Example: He is warm. | his Example: Those are his tools. | his Example: Those are his. |
| feminine pronouns | she Example: She is warm. | her Example: Those are her shoes. | hers Example: These are hers. |
| neuter pronouns | it Example: It is warm. | its Example: Those are its toys. | its Example: These are its. (rare) |
Unless its meaning makes it obviously male (e.g., boy, king, boar) or female (e.g., princess, hen, mare), a noun in English is neuter by default.
(Note: Large machines, such as ships and trains, which - by default - are neuter, are sometimes affectionally called she. An animal is referred to as it, or he or she when the sex is known.)
Interactive example:
| She / He / Them / Drake / Wizard / Goat / QE2 [show me the masculine ones] |
A Note from Teacher
In formal writing, you can use he to represent he and she. Likewise, his is used for his and her. For example:
- Please ask your guest to sign his/her name on his/her ticket.
(This is not wrong, but it's unwieldy.)
- Please ask your guest to sign his name on his ticket.
(This in an acceptable alternative.)
A Quick Test
- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?
