What is gender ? ( Gender in English grammar)

 

 Gender in English grammar

What is gender?

Ans :  In grammar , there is a classification of a Noun or Pronoun as Masculine or Feminine .There , gender is the sexual classification in grammar .Gender comes from Latin genus , meaning kind or sort.

We know that living   beings are either the male or the female sex .

Masculine       Feminine           

Boy               Girl

Actor             actress

Hero              heroine

Lion               lioness

Tiger             tigress

 

Man              woman

Cock             hen

Brother        sister

 # Masculine

A noun that denotes a male animal is said to be of the Masculine Gender

# Feminine

A noun that denotes a female animal is said to be of the Feminine Gender.

 

#Common Gender.

Besides , Masculine  Gender and Feminine Gender , there is a  gender  which is said to be the Common Gender . In this gender , a noun that denotes either a male or a female  is included.

For example,

parent, child, pupil, servant,  friend, thief, relation, enemy ,cousin,  orphan , student, person, baby, guardian, monarch, infant, neighbour, tutor etc

#Neuter  Gender.

A noun that denotes a thing  that is neither male or  female  is said to be of Neuter Gender .

[ Neuter means neither , i.e . neither male or female] 

For example ,

Book , pen , table, chair , room, wall, tree, paper, ball, sword, radio, cloth motor, key , bus, song . etc 

* Masculine Gender  is often applied to objects remarkable  for strength , violence , sublimity and superiority.

For example , 

 Death , time , winter, summer, the sun, fear, love etc

* Feminine Gender is often  applied  to objects remarkable for beauty , gentleness gracefulness , fertility, softness , sweetness and weakness etc.

For example ,

The moon, the earth, spring, liberty, autumn , nature, charity, church , hope justice, mercy, peace, religion, truth