Masculine and Feminine Gender: Definition, Examples, Usage, Exercises, PDF Worksheet (Class 1-10 NCERT/CBSE)

Last Modified: 2025-06-11

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In English grammar, nouns are often classified by Gender. Two of the primary classifications are Masculine Gender (referring to males) and Feminine Gender (referring to females). Understanding these genders is key to using correct pronouns (like he/she, him/her, his/hers) and building accurate, clear sentences. This guide will explore the definitions of masculine and feminine gender nouns, provide numerous examples, discuss how feminine nouns are formed, and offer practice exercises and quizzes. This content is suitable for learners from Classes 1 to 10, aligning with NCERT and CBSE guidelines.

An illustration showing examples of masculine (boy, king, lion) and feminine (girl, queen, lioness) gender nouns.

Masculine and Feminine Gender: Definition, Examples, Usage, Exercises, PDF Worksheet (Class 1-10 NCERT/CBSE)

Your Guide to Masculine & Feminine Gender Nouns (Table of Contents)

What is Gender in Nouns? (Brief Overview)
Understanding Masculine Gender
Understanding Feminine Gender
Ways of Forming Feminine Nouns from Masculine Nouns
Other Genders: Common and Neuter (Brief Mention)
Summary Table of Masculine & Feminine Gender
Practice Arena: Worksheets on Masculine & Feminine Gender
Test Your Knowledge: Quizzes on Masculine & Feminine Gender
Downloadable PDF Worksheet
Common Questions Answered (FAQs)
Creative Practice: Worksheet Ideas
Downloadable Masculine & Feminine Gender Worksheets (Images)

What is Gender in Nouns? (Brief Overview)

In English grammar, Gender is a way of classifying nouns based on whether they refer to males, females, either sex, or things without a biological sex. The four main types are Masculine, Feminine, Common, and Neuter. This guide will focus primarily on Masculine and Feminine genders.

Understanding noun gender is crucial for using correct pronouns and forming grammatically sound sentences.

Understanding Masculine Gender

Definition and Basic Idea

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

Basic Idea: These are words for boys, men, and male animals.

Examples: father, king, actor, lion, rooster.

Identifying Masculine Gender Nouns

To identify a masculine gender noun, ask: "Does this word specifically refer to a male?"

Nouns for male family members: son, brother, uncle, grandfather.
Nouns for male roles or titles: prince, emperor, waiter, hero.
Nouns for male animals: bull, stallion, gander, drake.

Examples of Masculine Gender Nouns

A. Examples of Male Persons Nouns

Masculine Noun	Example Sentence
man	The man is reading a book.
boy	A boy is playing in the park.
husband	Her husband is a pilot.
nephew	My nephew is very clever.
wizard	The old wizard cast a spell.
policeman	The policeman directed the traffic.
landlord	The landlord collected the rent.
bridegroom	The bridegroom looked happy.

B. Examples of Male Animals Nouns

Masculine Noun	Example Sentence
lion	The lion roared majestically.
tiger	A male tiger has distinctive stripes.
ram	The ram had large, curling horns.
peacock	The peacock displayed its beautiful feathers.
fox (male) / dog fox	The dog fox was cunning.
boar	A wild boar roamed the woods.
buck	The hunter spotted a buck.
drone	A drone is a male bee.

Masculine Gender and Pronouns (He, Him, His)

When referring to masculine nouns, we use masculine pronouns:

Subject: He (John is smart. He studies hard.)
Object: Him (I saw Paul. I gave the book to him.)
Possessive: His (That is Tom's bag. It is his bag. / The bag is his.)
Reflexive: Himself (The boy taught himself to play guitar.)

Understanding Feminine Gender

Definition and Basic Idea

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

Basic Idea: These are words for girls, women, and female animals.

Examples: mother, queen, actress, lioness, hen.

Identifying Feminine Gender Nouns

To identify a feminine gender noun, ask: "Does this word specifically refer to a female?"

Nouns for female family members: daughter, sister, aunt, grandmother.
Nouns for female roles or titles: princess, empress, waitress, heroine.
Nouns for female animals: cow, mare, ewe, vixen.

Examples of Feminine Gender Nouns

A. Examples of Female Persons Nouns

Feminine Noun	Example Sentence
woman	The woman is a successful entrepreneur.
girl	A girl was singing a sweet song.
wife	His wife is a talented artist.
niece	My niece loves to dance.
witch	The story featured a kind witch.
policewoman	The policewoman helped the lost child.
landlady	The landlady was very understanding.
bride	The bride looked beautiful in her gown.

B. Examples of Female Animals Nouns

Feminine Noun	Example Sentence
lioness	The lioness protected her cubs.
tigress	The tigress moved silently through the jungle.
ewe	The shepherd cared for the ewe and her lamb.
peahen	The peahen is less colorful than the peacock.
vixen	The vixen (female fox) was very alert.
sow	The sow had many piglets.
doe	A graceful doe grazed peacefully.
queen bee	The queen bee is essential to the hive.

Feminine Gender and Pronouns (She, Her, Hers)

When referring to feminine nouns, we use feminine pronouns:

Subject: She (Mary is here. She looks happy.)
Object: Her (I met Susan. I gave the flowers to her.)
Possessive: Her (determiner), Hers (independent) (That is Jane's dress. It is her dress. / The dress is hers.)
Reflexive: Herself (The girl dressed herself.)

Ways of Forming Feminine Nouns from Masculine Nouns

There are three main ways to form the feminine gender of nouns:

1. By Using an Entirely Different Word

Some masculine nouns have completely different words for their feminine counterparts.

Masculine	Feminine	Example (Feminine)
father	mother	Her mother is a teacher.
brother	sister	My sister is younger than me.
king	queen	The queen waved to the people.
monk	nun	A nun lives in a convent.
horse/stallion	mare	The farmer owns a gentle mare.
bull	cow	The cow grazed in the pasture.
rooster	hen	The hen laid an egg.
wizard	witch	The good witch helped the children.
sir	madam	"Good morning, Madam," he replied.
bachelor	spinster (or single woman)	She chose to remain a spinster.
drake	duck	A duck and her ducklings swam by.

2. By Adding a Suffix (e.g., -ess, -ine, -trix, -a)

Many feminine nouns are formed by adding a suffix to the masculine form. The most common suffix is -ess.

Masculine	Feminine	Example (Feminine)
actor	actress	The actress won an award.
prince	princess	The princess wore a beautiful gown.
lion	lioness	The lioness is a fierce hunter.
tiger	tigress	A tigress cares for her cubs.
waiter	waitress	The waitress served our table.
host	hostess	The hostess greeted the guests.
heir	heiress	She is the heiress to a large fortune.
poet	poetess (though 'poet' is often used for both)	The poetess read her poems.
hero	heroine	She is the heroine of the story.
executor	executrix	The will named her as the executrix.
sultan	sultana	The sultana ruled wisely.
baron	baroness	The Baroness von Trapp was famous.
shepherd	shepherdess	The shepherdess tended her flock.
emperor	empress	The empress was very powerful.

Note: Some -ess forms like 'authoress' are becoming less common, with the masculine form ('author') often used for both genders.

3. By Changing Part of a Compound Word (or adding a gender-specific word)

For compound nouns, the gender is often indicated by changing one part of the word or by adding a gender-specific word before or after.

Masculine/Common	Feminine	Example (Feminine)
grandfather	grandmother	My grandmother bakes cookies.
landlord	landlady	The landlady collected the rent.
milkman	milkmaid / milkwoman	The milkmaid delivered milk.
peacock	peahen	The peahen is less colorful.
manservant	maidservant	The maidservant cleaned the house.
salesman	saleswoman / saleslady	The saleswoman was very helpful.
he-goat	she-goat	The she-goat had two kids.
billy-goat	nanny-goat	The nanny-goat is in the field.
chairman	chairwoman / chairperson	The chairwoman led the meeting.
policeman	policewoman	A policewoman helped us.

Other Genders: Common and Neuter (Brief Mention)

While this guide focuses on Masculine and Feminine genders, it's good to remember the other two:

Common Gender: Nouns that can refer to either a male or a female (e.g., student, teacher, child, doctor, artist).
Neuter Gender: Nouns that refer to non-living things or objects that have no biological sex (e.g., book, table, computer, idea, city).

Summary Table of Masculine & Feminine Gender

Feature	Masculine Gender	Feminine Gender
Refers to	Male persons or animals	Female persons or animals
Examples (Persons)	man, boy, king, actor, father	woman, girl, queen, actress, mother
Examples (Animals)	lion, rooster, stallion, bull	lioness, hen, mare, cow
Pronouns	he, him, his	she, her, hers
Forming Feminine	(Masculine is base)	Different word, add suffix (-ess), change compound part

Practice Arena: Worksheets on Masculine & Feminine Gender

Exercise 1: Identify the Gender

Identify whether the underlined noun is Masculine or Feminine.

The prince will become king. (__________)
My aunt is a kind woman. (__________)
The rooster crows early in the morning. (__________)
The heroine of the story was very brave. (__________)
A waiter took their order. (__________)
The mare galloped across the field. (__________)
Her husband is a chef. (__________)
The empress ruled with grace. (__________)

Exercise 2: Write the Opposite Gender

Write the noun of the opposite gender for each of the following.

Masculine: uncle → Feminine: _______
Feminine: actress → Masculine: _______
Masculine: bull → Feminine: _______
Feminine: queen → Masculine: _______
Masculine: host → Feminine: _______
Feminine: vixen → Masculine: _______
Masculine: son → Feminine: _______
Feminine: nun → Masculine: _______
Masculine: widower → Feminine: _______
Feminine: landlady → Masculine: _______

Exercise 3: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct masculine or feminine form of the noun in parentheses.

The (king) _______ and his _______ (feminine of king) ruled wisely.
My (brother) _______ has a son, who is my _______ (masculine of niece).
The (lion) _______ and the _______ (feminine of lion) protect their cubs.
The (waiter) _______ served the ladies, while a _______ (feminine of waiter) served the gentlemen.
A (hero) _______ is admired, and so is a _______ (feminine of hero).
The (bridegroom) _______ waited for his _______ (feminine of bridegroom) at the altar.
The (shepherd) _______ watched his flock, and sometimes his _______ (feminine of shepherd) helped him.

Test Your Knowledge: Quizzes on Masculine & Feminine Gender

Quiz 1: Multiple Choice

Choose the best answer.

Which of these is a Feminine Gender noun?
(a) father (b) gander (c) niece (d) table
The Masculine Gender of 'mare' is:
(a) horse (b) stallion (c) Both a and b (d) bull
'He' is a pronoun used for:
(a) Feminine Gender (b) Masculine Gender (c) Neuter Gender (d) Common Gender
The Feminine Gender of 'duke' is:
(a) dukess (b) duchess (c) lady duke (d) dukene
Which pair is correctly matched for Masculine-Feminine?
(a) boy-woman (b) uncle-nephew (c) rooster-hen (d) lion-tigress
The feminine of 'baron' is:
(a) baroness (b) baronin (c) barona (d) lady baron

Quiz 2: True or False

Determine if the following statements are True or False.

'Princess' is a Masculine Gender noun. (True / False)
The noun 'teacher' is Common Gender, not specifically Masculine or Feminine. (True / False)
The feminine of 'fox' is 'foxess'. (True / False)
'She' and 'her' are pronouns used for Feminine Gender nouns. (True / False)
All Feminine Gender nouns end with the suffix '-ess'. (True / False)
'Stallion' is the feminine form of 'horse'. (True / False)

Downloadable PDF Worksheet on Masculine & Feminine Gender

For comprehensive practice on identifying and forming nouns, download our specially designed PDF worksheet. It includes a variety of exercises, including matching, fill-in-the-blanks, and conversion tasks, suitable for Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, Class 4, Class 5, Class 6, Class 7 and Class 8. An answer link is included.

Download Worksheets on Noun (Mixed Exercises)

Download Worksheets on Animals and Birds Gender

Download Worksheets on Noun Gender

Download Worksheets on Feminine Gender

Download Worksheets on Masculine Gender

Download PDF of List of Masculine & Feminine Gender

Download PDF of Change the Gender in Sentences

Download PDF of Masculine and Feminine Genders Worksheets - Fill in the Blanks

Download PDF of Masculine and Feminine Genders Worksheets - Match the Pairs

Download PDF of Masculine and Feminine Genders Worksheets - Write the Opposite Genders

Common Questions About Masculine & Feminine Gender Nouns Answered (FAQs)

Q1: How do I know if a noun is Masculine or Feminine?

You can usually tell by its meaning. If it refers to a male person or animal, it's Masculine (e.g., man, lion). If it refers to a female person or animal, it's Feminine (e.g., woman, lioness). Some words have specific forms for each gender.

Q2: Are there rules for changing Masculine nouns to Feminine?

Yes, there are three main ways:

Using a completely different word (e.g., boy → girl).
Adding a suffix, most commonly '-ess' (e.g., actor → actress).
Changing part of a compound word (e.g., landlord → landlady).

Q3: What about nouns like 'student' or 'doctor'? What gender are they?

Nouns like student, doctor, teacher, parent, child, artist are of Common Gender. This means they can refer to either a male or a female. We use context or other words (like 'male student' or 'female doctor') to specify if needed.

Q4: Do inanimate objects like 'table' or 'book' have Masculine or Feminine gender?

No, inanimate objects are generally of Neuter Gender. They are referred to using the pronoun 'it'. However, sometimes in literature (personification), objects like ships or countries are referred to as 'she', or powerful things like the sun as 'he'.

Q5: Is 'actor' only Masculine, or can it be used for females too?

Traditionally, 'actor' was Masculine and 'actress' was Feminine. However, it's now common and widely accepted to use 'actor' as a Common Gender noun, referring to both male and female performers. 'Actress' is still used but 'actor' for females is also correct and often preferred for inclusivity.

Creative Practice: Worksheet Ideas for Masculine & Feminine Gender

Adapt these ideas for different class levels:

Gender Pairs (Basic): Match masculine nouns (e.g., king, bull) with their feminine counterparts (e.g., queen, cow).
"He or She?" Sort (Basic/Intermediate): Provide a list of nouns; students sort them into Masculine and Feminine columns. Add a "Common" column for an extra challenge.
Form the Feminine (Intermediate): Give masculine nouns and ask students to write the feminine form, applying different rules (e.g., prince → princess; hero → heroine).
Sentence Rewrite (Intermediate): Rewrite sentences, changing the gender of the noun and the corresponding pronouns. (e.g., "The boy lost his ball." → "The girl lost her ball.")
Character Creation (All Levels): Students create a male character and a female character for a story, listing their names (if gendered) and other gendered nouns associated with them.
Opposite Gender Story (Advanced): Students write a short story and then rewrite it by changing the gender of the main characters and all related nouns/pronouns.