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Important Facts About Gender

(a) Lifeless objects known for womanly qualities—beauty, kindness, etc. —are treated as
feminines.

1. India is our motherland. She is the best land of all.

2. Venus has no light of her own.

(b) Lifeless objects known for manly qualities—strength, harshness, courage, etc.—are treated
as masculines.

1. The winter was in his full swing.

2. The storm was in his full fury.

(c) All material nouns and abstract nouns are of neuter gender.
1. Virtue is its own reward, they say.

2. Define matter and name its three states.

(d) All collective nouns are of neuter gender.

1. The army, along with its general, was destroyed.

2. Each class will march to its own classroom.

Test Yourself

I. Give the masculine nouns of:

1. bride ___________________ 2. wife ___________________

3. aunt ___________________ 4. authoress ___________________

5. niece ___________________ 6. maidservant ___________________

7. bitch ___________________ 8. milkmaid ___________________

II. Give the feminine noun of:

1. fox ___________________ 2. lion ___________________
3. horse ___________________ 4. actor ___________________

5. son ___________________ 6. hunter ___________________

7. bull ___________________ 8. widower ___________________

9. drake ___________________ 10. bridegroom ___________________

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