NOUN GENDER – TOEFL VOCAB & GRAMMAR

Using nouns correctly in English is relatively simple, with standard rules and only a few exceptions.

In general, nouns answer the questions:

 “What is it?” and “Who is it?”

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They give names to things, people, and places.

The Noun-Gender tells us about the sex of the noun.

In Grammar-Nouns, there are THREE GENDERS.

1. Masculine gender:

A noun is said to be in the Masculine gender if it refers to a male character or member of a species.

Man, lion, hero, boy, king, horse and actor are nouns of masculine gender.

Example:

• A boy is playing in the play-ground.

• Hero of the movie is not a native of this country.

In these sentences the words “boy” and “hero” are masculine-gender nouns.

The next in the Noun-Gender is feminine gender.

2. Feminine gender:

A noun is said to be in the feminine gender if it refers to a female member of a species.

Woman, lioness, heroine, girl, mare, niece, empress, cow and actress are few of the feminine-gender nouns that we use.

Example:

• A girl is playing in the play-ground.

• Heroine of the movie is not a native of this country.

In these sentences the words “girl” and “heroine” are feminine-gender nouns.

The next in the Noun-Gender is common gender.

3. Neuter gender:

A noun is said to be in the neuter gender if it refers to a member of a species which is neither a male nor a female.

Normally nouns referring to lifeless objects are in neuter nouns.

Chair, table, tree, star, mountain, street, book, car, school,
paper, pencil and computer are few of the neuter nouns which We use regularly.

Example:

• Computer has brought about drastic changes in our lives.
• Tree is cleansing the air.
• Stars are not visible in the day-time.
• Books are our best friends.

In these sentences the words, “computer”, “tree”, “stars” and “books” are the neuter-gender nouns.

 Noun Gender :

Gender is sometimes shown by different forms or different words when referring to people or animals.

Masculine (M) . Feminine (F) . Gender Neutral (N) .

 Examples :

M: Man
F: Woman
N: Person / People

M: Father
F: Mother
N: Parent / Parents

M: Husband
F: Wife
N: Spouse

M: Boy
F: Girl
N: Child / Children

M: Rooster
F: Hen
N: Chicken

 Many nouns that refer to people’s roles and jobs can be used for either a masculine or a feminine subject. like:
 cousin, teenager, teacher, doctor, student, friend, colleague

 For example:

Peter is my cousin, he is a doctor. Sarah is my other cousin, she is a doctor, too.

 More Examples on Noun Gender ( M : F )

 god : goddess

( God : The spirit or being whom Muslims, Christians and Jews believe created the universe, and to whom they pray. God is unique.

god : A male spirit or being who is believed to control the world or part of it. Example: Hindu god )

 groom : bride

 fiance : fiancee

 hero : heroine

 lad : lass

 lord : lady

 gentleman : lady

 landlord : landlady

 king : queen

 prince : princess

 emperor : empress

 count : countess

 sir : madam

 nephew : niece

 actor : actress

 waiter : waitress

 manservant : maidservant

 boy scout : girl guide

 bachelor : spinster

 grandson : granddaughter

 father-in-law : mother-in-law

 son-in-law : daughter-in-law

 step-father : step-mother

 step-son : step-daughter