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Feminine Gender
What Is the Feminine Gender? (with Examples)
Feminine gender is one of three genders in English grammar. The three genders for nouns and pronouns are:Table of Contents
- Feminine Pronouns
- Feminine Nouns
- "Find the Feminine Words" Test
- Why the Feminine Gender Is Important
- Video Lesson
- Printable Test

Feminine Pronouns
In the table below, the singular feminine pronouns are in the shaded row:Gender | Pronoun | Possessive Determiner (a type of pronoun) | Possessive Pronoun |
---|---|---|---|
masculine pronouns | he Example: He is happy. | his Example: This is his car. | his Example: This is his. |
feminine pronouns | she Example: She is happy. | her Example: This is her car. | hers Example: This is hers. |
neuter pronouns | it Example: It is happy. | its Example: This is its bone. | (not used) |
Feminine Nouns
Unless its meaning makes it obviously female (e.g., "girl," "queen," "sow") or male (e.g., "prince," "boar," "policeman"), a noun in English is neuter by default. Here are two noteworthy points related to gender:(1) 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.")
(2) Animals
An animal is referred to as "it." It is only referred to as "she" or "he" when the sex is known. Read more about gender-specific nouns."Find the Feminine Words" Test
Click on the Two Words with Feminine Gender
(Interactive Game)
Here are two noteworthy issues related to feminine gender.
(Issue 1) Choosing the right version of "blonde/blond."
The word "blond/blonde" changes depending on its gender."Blonde" is a noun meaning a fair-haired female.
- 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.
Some people identify as non-binary; i.e. they do not identify as male or female. These people might ask you to use "they" (and of course "their," "them," "theirs," "themself") or just their name instead of a pronoun (e.g., "Sarah," "Sarah's," "Sarah's self") when talking about them. Read more about using non-binary pronouns.- Use "blonde" for women and "blond" for men.
- Use "they" when talking about non-binary people.
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