Top Pages
A-Z glossary
punctuation
A-Z confused words
common mistakes
(ordered by seriousness) Top Tip
Get a grammar checker
for your browser vocabulary for learners tests and games awkward plurals sayings and proverbs tattoo fails our Twitter page our YouTube channel
(ordered by seriousness) Top Tip
Get a grammar checker
for your browser vocabulary for learners tests and games awkward plurals sayings and proverbs tattoo fails our Twitter page our YouTube channel
Neuter Gender
Search...
What Is the Neuter Gender? (with Examples)
Neuter gender is one of three genders in English grammar. The three genders for nouns and pronouns are as follows: The associated singular pronouns are:| Gender | Pronoun | Possessive Determiner (a type of pronoun) | Possessive Pronoun |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine pronouns | he Example: He is cold. | his Example: These are his boots. | his Example: These are his. |
| feminine pronouns | she Example: She is cold. | her Example: These are her earrings. | hers Example: These are hers. |
| neuter pronouns | it Example: It is cold. | its Example: These are its toys. | its Example: These are its. (rare) |
Unless its meaning makes it obviously male (e.g., "boy," "king," "boar") or female (e.g., "princess," "hen," "mare"), a noun in English is neuter by default. Here are two noteworthy points related to gender:
- 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").
- Animals. An animal is referred to as "it." It is only referred to as "he" or "she" when the sex is known.
If the word does not denote something obviously masculine or feminine, then it is a neuter word.
Got it? Take a quick test.Why Should I Care about Neuter Gender?
There are three noteworthy issues related to neuter gender.(Issue 1) There's no apostrophe in the neuter possessive determiner "its."
Look at the following list of nouns and their possessive determiners:- A king and his son ("His" is the possessive determiner for something of masculine gender.)
- A queen and her dog ("Her" is the possessive determiner for something of feminine gender.)
- A shark and its prey ("Its" is the possessive determiner for something of neuter gender.)
"It's" (with an apostrophe) is a contraction of "it is" or "it has." If you can't expand your "it's" to "it is" or "it has," then it is wrong. That is a 100% rule!
Read more about "its" and "it's."
(Issue 2) Finding an alternative to "his/her."
In English, there is no singular, neuter possessive determiner for people. in other words, the singular possessive determiner "its" cannot be used for a person whose gender is unknown. For example:- Each student must ensure its guest signs the registry.
("Its" cannot be used for people.)
- Each student must ensure his guest signs the registry.
(This is an outdated practice.)
- Each student must ensure his/her guest signs the registry.
(This is clumsy as well as outdated.)
- Each student must ensure their guest signs the registry.
(This is now the accepted solution.)
(Issue 3) Using gender-neutral pronouns for people who do not identify themselves as either male or female.
Some people identify as "non-binary." This means they do not identify as male or female or as both. These people might ask you to use "they" (and "their," "them," "theirs," "themself") or just their name instead of a pronoun (e.g., "Terry," "Terry's," "Terry's self") when talking about them.Read more about using non-binary pronouns.
Key Points
- There's no apostrophe in the possessive determiner "its." If you write "it's," try to expand it to "it is" or "it has." If you can't then it is wrong.
- When writing about someone whose gender is unknown, don't use "he/she," "his/her," etc. Use "they," "their," etc. For example:
- Any person who thinks
he/she needsthey need an interview should book one throughhis/hertheir line manager. - Use "they" when talking about a non-binary person.
A Video Summary
Here is 9-minute video summarizing grammatical gender in English.Ready for the Test?
Here is a confirmatory test for this lesson.This test can also be:
- Edited (i.e., you can delete questions and play with the order of the questions).
- Printed to create a handout.
- Sent electronically to friends or students.
- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?