Nouns may be grouped according to gender. In English, the four genders of nouns are masculine, feminine, common and neuter.
Masculine nouns refer to words for men, boys and male animals.
Examples:
| boy | brother |
| father | king |
| host | duke |
| tiger | lion |
Example sentences:
| That little boy is tired. He is sleeping. |
| The king gives the order. His soldier must follow. |
| Her father is a hard worker. He goes home late everyday. |
Feminine nouns refer to words for women, girls and female animals.
Examples:
| girl | sister |
| mother | queen |
| hostess | duchess |
| tigress | lioness |
Example sentences:
| That girl is very smart. She answers the questions well. |
| The actress is very popular. She has many fans. |
| The hostess is very helpful. She takes good care of the guests. |
Common nouns refer to words for members of a class that do not have a specific gender. They can be used for both males and females.
Examples:
| cousin | teacher |
| friend | doctor |
| student | spouse |
| chicken | horse |
Example sentences:
| Maria is my cousin. She is a teacher. |
| Vicente is my friend. He is a doctor. |
| Carlos is my neighbor. He is a student. |
To make it clear, we can add the words male or female before these common nouns.
| She is not my girlfriend, she is just a female friend. |
| Vicente is a male doctor. |
| She has five female cousins. |
Neuter nouns refer to words for things that have no gender. They are neither male nor female.
Examples:
| book | car |
| door | computer |
| fan | radio |
| train | television |
Example sentences:
| I like driving my car. It runs very fast. |
| My computer is very expensive. It costs €2000. |
| The train just arrived. It is always on time. |