Feminine Gender

What Is the Feminine Gender? (with Examples)

• masculine
• feminine
• neuter

If the word does not denote something obviously masculine or feminine, then it is a neuter word.

Click on Two Feminine Nouns

Feminine Pronouns

Feminine Nouns

• Large machines. Large machines such as ships and trains, which - by default - are neuter, are sometimes affectionately given a female gender (i.e., referred to as "she" or "her").
• RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. She was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. She was the largest ship afloat at the time she entered service.
(Large machines are often referred to as "she.")
• Animals. An animal is referred to as "it." It is only referred to as "she" or "he" when the sex is known.

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Why Should I Care about Feminine Gender?

(Issue 1) Choosing the right version of "blonde/blond."

• The blonde just passed a package to the vendor. (for a girl)

• The blonde girl is likely to be voted in as the next club president. (for a girl)

• The blond is looking suspicious. (for a boy)

• The blond girl and the blond boy make a nice blond couple.
(When it's an adjective, "blond" can be used for all genders.)

(Issue 2) Using gender-neutral pronouns for people who do not identify themselves as either male or female.

A Video Summary