Gender in English Grammar roughly corresponds to the two sexes and sexlessness. Gender comes from the Latin genus, kind or sort. In English Grammar Gender Change is an important topic that everyone must be aware of. Definition and How to Change Gender are discussed with varieties of examples.
Types of Gender in English Grammar
There are 4( four) types of Gender in English Grammar for Nouns and Pronouns. They are
(a) Masculine
(b) Feminine
(c) Common
(d) Neuter.
Examples:
| Masculine | Feminine | Common | Neuter |
| Boy | Girl | Student | Book |
| Lord | Lady | Parent | Pen |
| Dog | Bitch | Friend | Bag |
| Gander | Goose | Baby | Stick |
| God | goddess | Pupil | table |
| Heir | heiress | Orphan | River |
| Host | hostess | Sheep | City |
| King | queen | Cattle | Tree |
| Lord | lady | Servant | desk |
Read more:
Singular and Plural Number Rules and Examples
Masculine Gender in English Definition and Examples
Man, Tiger, Bull, Father – all these words refer to males. So, they are called Masculine Gender in English.
| Masculine Gender | Horse, Husband, King, Lord, Man, Nephew, Sir, Son, Stag, Uncle, Wizard, Bachelor, Boy, Brother, ox, Cock, Colt, Dog, Drake, Drone, Gentleman, Hunter, Instructor, Murderer, Master, Emperor, Governor, Billy-goat, He-goat, Czar, Bridegroom, He, His |
Feminine Gender in English Definition and Examples
Woman, Tigress, Cow, Mother – all these words refer to females. So, they are called Feminine Gender in English.
| Feminine Gender | Girl, sister, doe, cow, heifer, hen, duck, filly, bee, wife, queen, lady, woman, spawner, niece, girl, sister, doe, cow, heifer, hen, filly, daughter, hind, peeress, poetess, priestess, princess, prioress, Conductress, Directress, Enchantress, She, Her |
Common Gender in English Definition and Examples
Common Gender refers to either a male or a female. Student, Teacher, Player, and Child are examples of Common gender.
| Common Gender | Student, Parent, Companion, Pupil, Sovereign, Neighbour, Cousin, Servant, Sheep, Monarch |
Read more about:
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs: Examples Exercises Answers
Neuter Gender in English Definition and Examples
Neuter Gender denotes neither male nor female that is they are the things without life. Pen, Box, Paper, and Desk are examples of Neuter Gender.
| Neuter Gender | Book, Tree, Pen, Car, Table, Chair, Ball, Stick, paper |
Nouns and Gender Classification
Nouns can be classified according to Gender in the following way:
| Gender | Nouns |
| Masculine or Feminine | Proper and Common Nouns |
| Common | Common Nouns |
| Neuter | Proper, Common, Collective, Material, Abstract |
Gender in English Grammar for Objects without life
Objects without life are often personified that are spoken of as if they were living beings. We often regard them as males or females.
The Masculine Gender often personifies objects remarkable for strength, greatness, superiority, and violence.
Examples:
The sun, summer, Winter, Time, Death, Anger, war, Day, Fear, Revenge, Thunder, Ocean, Desert, Love,
Feminine Gender often applies to objects remarkable for beauty, gentleness, fertility, inferiority, and gracefulness.
Examples:
The Moon, The earth, spring, autumn, Nature, Liberty, Justice, Mercy, Hope, Charity, Peace, Shame, Pity, Religion, River,
Names of Ships, Countries, and Fine Arts are generally regarded as Feminine Gender. The Titanic, India, and Poetry are such examples of Feminine gender.
Personified objects are often commenced with a Capital Letter as if they were Proper Nouns.
How to Change Gender in English
Gender Change means to change the Nouns or Pronouns from male to Female or from a grammatical point of view to change from Masculine to Feminine. Masculine refers to Males and Feminine refers to Females.
To make the Feminine Gender from the Masculine Gender, there are main three rules. (1) by using entirely different words (2) by adding -ess to the Masculine and (3) by placing a word before or after. All Masculine to Feminine Gender Nouns are given below.
(1) By using entirely different words:
| Masculine. | Feminine. | Masculine. | Feminine. |
| Bachelor | maid (or spinster | Horse(or stallion) | mare |
| Boar | sow | Husband | wife |
| Boy | girl | King | queen |
| Brother | sister | Lord | lady |
| Buck | doe | Man | woman |
| Bull (or ox) | cow | Milter (fish) | spawner |
| Bullock (or steer) | heifer | Nephew | niece |
| Cock | hen | Papa | mamma |
| Colt | filly | Ram (or wether) | ewe |
| Dog | bitch (or slut) | Sir | madam (or dame) |
| Drake | duck | Sire | dam |
| Drone | bee | (father of colt) | (mother of colt) |
| Earl | countess | Sloven | slut |
| Father | mother | Son | daughter |
| Friar (or monk) | nun | Stag | hind |
| Gander | goose | Swain | nymph |
| Gentleman | lady | Uncle | aunt |
| Hart | hind | Wizard | witch |
(2) By adding ‘-ess’ to the Masculine
(a) By adding ‘-ess’ to the Masculine without any change in the form of the masculine.
| Masculine. | Feminine. | Masculine. | Feminine. |
| Author | authoress | Patron | patroness |
| Baron | baroness | Рeer | peeress |
| Count | countess | Poet | poetess |
| Giant | giantess. | Priest | priestess |
| God | goddess | Prince | princess |
| Heir | heiress | Prior | prioress |
| Host | hostess | Prophet | prophetess |
| Jew | Jewess | Shepherd | shepherdess |
| Lion | lioness | Viscount | viscountess |
| Steward | stewardess |
(b) By adding ‘-ess’ and omitting the vowel of the last syllable of the Masculine.
| Masculine. | Feminine. | Masculine. | Feminine. |
| Actor | Actress | Negro | Negress |
| Benefactor | Benefactress | Porter | Portress |
| Conductor | Conductress | Prince | Princess |
| Director | Directress | Seamster | Seamstress |
| Enchanter | Enchantress | Tempter | Temptress |
| Hunter | Huntress | Tiger | Tigress |
| Instructor | Instructress | Traitor | Traitress |
| Murderer | Murderess | Votary | Votaress |
| Master | Mistress | Songster | Songstress |
| Waiter | Waitress | Tempter | Temptress |
(c) By adding -ess to the Masculine in an irregular way.
| Masculine. | Feminine | Masculine. | Feminine. |
| Abbot | Abbess | Master (boy) | Miss (girl) |
| Duke | Duchess | Mr. | Mrs. |
| Emperor | Empress | Marquis | Marchioness |
| Governor | Governess | Marquess | Marchioness |
| Lad | Lass | Murderer | Murderess |
| Master (teacher, etc.) | Mistress | Sorcerer | Sorceress |
(3) By placing a word before or after
| Masculine. | Feminine. | Masculine. | Feminine. |
| Billy-goat | nanny-goat | Grand father | grandmother |
| Buck-rabbit | doe-rabbit | Great-uncle | great-aunt |
| Cock-sparrow | hen-sparrow | Landlord | landlady |
| He-goat | she-goat | Peacock | peahen |
| Jackass | she-ass | Servant-man | servant-maid |
| Manservant | Maid-servant | Washerman | Washerwoman |
Foreign Feminines
| Masculine. | Feminine. | Masculine. | Feminine. |
| Administrator | administratrix | Hero | heroine |
| Beau | belle | Prosecutor | prosecutrix |
| Czar | czarina | Signor | signora |
| Don | donna | Sultan | sultana |
| Executor | executrix | Testator | testatrix |
Miscellaneous Examples
| Masculine. | Feminine. | Masculine. | Feminine. |
| Bridegroom | Bride | Fox | Vixen |
| Widower | Widow |
Gender Change of Pronouns
| Masculine. | Feminine. |
| He | She |
| His | Her, Hers |
| Him | Her |
| Himself | Herself |
I, we, you, they, – all these pronouns refer to Common Gender.
Pronoun, “It” normally refers to Neuter Gender and is normally used in place of young children and lower animals.
Read more about Nouns:
| Proper Noun | Material Noun |
| Common Noun | Abstract Noun |
| Collective Noun | Countable and Uncountable Nouns |
| Concrete and Abstract Nouns | Singular and Plural Noun & Number |
| Gender in English Grammar |
Change the Gender of the following Nouns:
Some commonly asked Gender Nouns with their Masculine and Feminine form are given below.
1. Gender Change of Fox:
Ans : fox (Masculine) ; vixen (Feminine).
Ans: Wizard (Masculine); witch (Feminine).
Ans: Horse (Masculine); Mare (Feminine).
Ans: Drake (Masculine); Duck (Feminine).
5. Landlord Gender Change :
Ans: Landlord (Masculine); Landlady (Feminine).
6. Dog Gender Change :
Ans: Dog (Masculine); Bitch (Feminine).
7. Nephew Gender Change :
Ans: Nephew (Masculine); Niece (Feminine).
8. Bee Gender Change :
Ans: Drone (Masculine); Bee (Feminine).
9. Bridegroom Feminine Gender :
Ans: Bride (Feminine)
10. Emperor opposite gender :
Ans: Empress (Feminine)
11. Goose opposite gender :
An : Gander (Masculine)
12. Gander opposite gender :
Ans: Goose (Feminine)
13. Priest opposite gender :
Ans: Priestess (Feminine)
14. Monk feminine gender :
Ans: Nun ( Feminine)
15. Czar feminine gender :
Ans: Czarina (Feminine)
List of Examples of Nouns in the Common Gender:
Some common gender in English Grammar examples with pictures in the form of a list has been arranged in the following.
Parent – father or mother.
Relation – male or female relation.
Friend – enemy-male or female friend or enemy.
Cousin – male or female cousin.
Bird– cock or hen.
Peafowl – peacock or peahen.
Fowl – cock or hen.
Child– boy or girl, son, or daughter.
Deer – stag or hind,
Fallow-deer – buck or doe.
Baby (or infant) – male or female baby (or infant).
Servant– man-servant or maid-servant.
Monarch – king or queen, emperor, or empress.
Person – man or woman.
Pupil – boy student or girl student.
Orphan – boy or girl without parents.
Pig – boar or sow.
Sheep– ram or ewe.
Elephant – male or female elephant.
Cat– male or female cat,
Rat – male or female rat.
Mouse – male or female mouse,
Fox – male or female fox,
Cattle – cows alone, or cows and bulls mixed.
Swine – sows alone, or sows and boars mixed.
Spouse– husband or wife.
Foal – colt or filly.
Calf – bullock or heifer.
Witness – male or female
Teacher – male or female
Student – male or female
Companion – male or female
Neighbour – male or female
Sovereign – king, emperor
Q.1. Change the Masculine Noun to the Feminine Gender.
(1) Boy _________(2) Nephew_________.(3) Cock_________
(4) Colt_________ (5) Drone _________. (6) Gentleman_____
(7) Uncle_________.(8) Author_________.(9) Poet_________
(10) Lion_________ (11) Man _________ (12) Dog_________
Ans :
(1) girl, (2) niece , (3) hen , (4) filly , (5) bee, (6) lady, (7) aunt, (8) authoress,(9) poetess, (10) lioness,(11) woman, (12) bitch.
Q.2. Change the underlined Nouns from Masculine to Feminine Gender and made changes if needed.
(1) My nephew is a nice lad.
Ans : My niece is a nice lady.
(2) He is a good actor.
Ans : She is a good actress.
(3) His son is a gentle boy.
Ans : His daughter is gentle girl.
(4) The prince drove away the chariot.
Ans : The Princess drove away the chariot.
(5) My tutor came to my house at 3 p m.
Ans :My tutoress came to my house at 3 pm.
(6) He is my son-in-law.
Ans : She is my daughter in law.
(7) The hunter killed a bird.
Ans : The Huntress killed a bird.
(8) The priest worshipped in the temple.
Ans : The priestess worshipped in the temple.
(9) The gentleman is a widower.
Ans : The ladyis a widow.
(10) He was waiter before.
Ans : She was. Waitressbefore.
(11) The landlord had gone to the court.
Ans : The landlady had gone to the court.
(12) The host leads us to the room.
Ans : The Hostess leads as to the room.
Q.3. In each sentence change the Masculine Noun to the Feminine Gender and made changes if necessary.
(1) My brother lost his pen.
Ans : My sister lost her pen.
(2) The boy is crying for his mother.
Ans : The girl is crying for his mother.
(3) The actor performs very well.
Ans : The actress performs very well.
(4) He was the emperor.
Ans : She was the empress.
(5) The monk blessed us.
Ans : The nun blessed us.
(6) The duke introduced new rules for the people.
Ans : The duchess introduced new rules for the people.
(7) My grandfather took me to the fair.
Ans : My grandmother took me to the fair.
(8) The king offered valuables to the common folk.
Ans : The queen offered valuables to the common folk.
(9) My uncle loved me very much.
Ans : My aunt loved me very much.
(10) The tiger watched the cubs at a distance.
Ans : The tigress watched the cubs at a distance.
(11) The wizard showed us some clever tricks.
Ans : The witch sold us some clever tricks.
(12) I have three nephews.
Ans : I have three nieces.
Q.4. Change the Gender.
(1) Boar_________.(2) Husband_________ .(3) King_________
(4) lady_________. (5) heifer_________.(6) niece_________
(7) Cock_________.(8) Sir_________.(9) duck_________
(10) Father_________.(11) Vixen_________.(12) Widow_________
Ans :
(1) sow, (2) wife , (3) queen , (4) gentleman , (5) bullock, (6) nephew, (7) hen, (8) madam,(9) drake, (10) mother,(11) fox (12) widower
Q.5. Which among the following is an example of common gender?
Boar, niece, Friend, Orphan, Papa, Dog, duck, Father ,Stag ,aunt, Child, Tigress , Sheep, Waitress ,Emperor, Spouse ,Governess, He-goat, peahen , Servant, Czar ,Sultan ,Parent.
Ans : Friend, Orphan, Child, Sheep, Spouse, Servant, Parent.
