[Image: Gender — Masculine and Feminine pairs chart with pictures showing king→queen, lion→lioness, actor→actress, etc.]
Learning Objectives
- Understand the four types of gender: masculine, feminine, common, and neuter.
- Learn masculine-feminine pairs for people and animals.
- Identify common gender and neuter gender nouns.
- Use the correct gender form in sentences.
Let Us Begin!
Look at these words: king and queen. A king is a man and a queen is a woman. In English, nouns that refer to males are called masculine gender and nouns that refer to females are called feminine gender. But what about words like "teacher" or "table"? Let us learn about all four types of gender.
The Four Types of Gender
1. Masculine Gender -- Nouns that refer to males. Examples: boy, father, brother, king, lion.
2. Feminine Gender -- Nouns that refer to females. Examples: girl, mother, sister, queen, lioness.
3. Common Gender -- Nouns that can refer to either a male or a female. Examples: teacher, doctor, student, cousin, baby.
4. Neuter Gender -- Nouns that refer to things that are neither male nor female (non-living things). Examples: table, book, chair, pen, school.
Think about it: The word "parent" can mean a father or a mother. So "parent" is common gender.
Key Words
| Key Word | Meaning |
|---|
| Masculine Gender | A noun that refers to a male person or animal. |
| Feminine Gender | A noun that refers to a female person or animal. |
| Common Gender | A noun that can refer to either male or female. |
| Neuter Gender | A noun that refers to a non-living thing (neither male nor female). |
Masculine and Feminine Pairs -- People
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|
| boy | girl |
| man | woman |
| father | mother |
| brother | sister |
| uncle | aunt |
| nephew | niece |
| son | daughter |
| king | queen |
| prince | princess |
| hero | heroine |
| actor | actress |
| waiter | waitress |
| husband | wife |
| gentleman | lady |
| bridegroom | bride |
| monk | nun |
| wizard | witch |
Masculine and Feminine Pairs -- Animals
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|
| lion | lioness |
| tiger | tigress |
| peacock | peahen |
| horse | mare |
| dog | bitch |
| bull | cow |
| cock | hen |
| stag | doe |
| fox | vixen |
| drake | duck |
Think about it: India's national bird is the peacock. The female is called a peahen.
Common Gender Nouns
These nouns can be used for both males and females:
Examples of Common Gender
teacher -- A teacher can be a man or a woman.
doctor -- A doctor can be male or female.
student -- A student can be a boy or a girl.
Other examples: cousin, friend, baby, child, parent, pilot, singer, neighbour, enemy, servant.
Neuter Gender Nouns
Non-living things have no gender. They are called neuter gender nouns.
Examples of Neuter Gender
table, book, chair, pen, school, river, mountain, computer, bicycle, house, stone, lamp.
Think about it: Can a "chair" be male or female? No! So it is neuter gender.
⭐ Key Points to Remember
- Masculine gender nouns refer to males (boy, king, lion).
- Feminine gender nouns refer to females (girl, queen, lioness).
- Common gender nouns can be male or female (teacher, doctor, student, cousin).
- Neuter gender nouns refer to non-living things (table, book, chair).
- Some feminine forms are made by adding -ess (lion -- lioness, actor -- actress).
- Some pairs use completely different words (king -- queen, horse -- mare, nephew -- niece).
- Learn the masculine-feminine pairs by heart, especially for animals.
Practice Questions
A. Write the Feminine Gender
1. brother --
2. prince --
3. lion --
4. peacock --
5. hero --
6. horse --
7. nephew --
8. waiter --
B. Write the Masculine Gender
1. queen --
2. hen --
3. wife --
4. vixen --
5. nun --
C. Identify the Gender Type
Write M (Masculine), F (Feminine), C (Common), or N (Neuter) next to each noun.
1. doctor
2. table
3. actress
4. father
5. baby
6. river
7. tigress
8. student
D. Multiple Choice Questions
1. The feminine of "peacock" is:
(a) peahen(b) peacockess(c) peafowl
2. "Cousin" is an example of:
(a) masculine gender(b) feminine gender(c) common gender
3. Which of these is neuter gender?
(a) bride(b) chair(c) niece
E. Fill in the Blanks
1. The (masculine of "cow") pulled the cart in the field.
2. My (feminine of "uncle") lives in Jaipur.
3. The (feminine of "tiger") protected her cubs.
🎨 Fun Activity -- Gender Sorting
Sort the following words into the correct column: king, book, teacher, lioness, pen, nephew, doctor, mare, lamp, bride.
| Masculine | Feminine | Common | Neuter |
|---|
| | | |
| | | |