The category of gender of nouns

• Gender is a lexical category as there are no grammatical endings to mark this category. With living beings gender is distinguished semantically (due to the meaning of nouns); by correlation with personal pronouns (he, she, it).

Exercise 1. Give the corresponding female/ male form of the following nouns:

God, hero, groom, sorcerer, widow, bachelor, policeman, duke, pea-hen, sultan, prophet, bull whale, lad, host, lion, tiger, he-wolf, manservant, tom-cat, boy-friend, emperor, female elephant, jack-ass, billy-goat, heir, fiancé, earl, tsar, gentleman, monk, goose, pig, ram, stallion, masseur, usher, master, female nurse, priest, wrestler, duck, fox, deer, signor, manager, master.

• Traditionally names of countries correspond to the feminine gender (England and her people; America= she), their official names, or geographical notions – to the neuter gender (The United Kingdom and its people; The continent of Australia: its climate and natural resources).

• When personification takes place (in fables, poetry), irrespective of sex distinctions, the pronoun ‘he’ would be used for a strong, active, man-like creature, ‘she’ (often with endearment) – for a feeble, tender, woman-like creature; thus, in English folklore The Sun is ‘he’ and the Moon is ‘she’; Wind, Ocean, River = ‘he’ (cf. ‘Old Man River’, in a folksong about the Mississippi); Earth = ‘she’.

• When abstract notions are personified the masculine gender is given to nouns suggesting such ideas as strength, fierceness, while the feminine is associated with the idea of gentleness, beauty: Anger, Death, Fear, War, Love, Passion = ‘he’; Hope, Mercy, Spring, Peace, Kindness, Dawn = ‘she’;

• Any animal in a fairy-tale (Dog, Fish, Horse, Cat, Mouse) is commonly a ‘he’, unless the opposite sex is specified (Lioness = ‘she’) or woman-like behaviour is stressed: the notorious Fox and Crow in Aesop’s fable are respectively ‘he’ (a cunning, resourceful person) and ‘she’ (coquettish and light-minded).

• When the sex of the animals is not indicated by the noun, nouns denoting the larger and stronger animals are generally associated with the masculine gender, nouns denoting the smaller and weaker animals – with the feminine gender: elephant, dog, eagle, horse = ‘he’; cat, hare, parrot = ‘she’; But: canary = he, fly = he.

• A boat/ ship of any kind is traditionally referred to as ‘she’; so can a car/ carriage/ coach be referred to by its owner, or an airplane by its pilot, when they speak affectionately (E.g. ‘I’ll go and start her now’); somebody else’s vehicle, in a neutral context, is ‘it’ (E.g. ‘I saw a car at the curb; its window was broken’).

• Practically anything with which a person operates and which he therefore regards as obedient to his will, can be affectionately referred to as ‘she’ (E.g. ‘I am trying to move this cupboard to the other wall. Just give me a hand with her, will you?’)

Exercise 2. Fill in a personal or possessive pronoun corresponding in gender to the word in bold type.

1. The interesting and inspiring thing about America is that …… asks nothing for ……except what …… has a right to ask for humanity itself. (Woodrow Wilson).

2. ‘But the fox might come again,’ Benny said slowly. ‘Last time …… killed twelve chickens.’ (Jack Higgins)

3. If England treats …… criminals the way …… has treated me, …… doesn’t deserve to have any (Wilde)

4. When did the USA first send …… ambassador to Russia?

5. One three-moth-old baby managed to talk ……parents into sending Santa a letter.

6. The boat was very flat, the central section including the wheelhouse rising up from the deck three quarters of the way along. ……was about five hundred feet in length. (Jack Higgins)

7. One’s days are too brief to take the burden of another’s sorrows on one’s shoulders. Each man lives his own life, and pays his own price for living it. The only pity is that one has to pay so often for a single fault. One has to pay over and over again, indeed. In her dealings with man Destiny never closes …… accounts. (O. Wilde)

8. Intellectually I know that America is no better than any other country; emotionally I know …… is better than every country. (Sinclair Lewis)

9. ‘Do you have children?’ Melanie Joan said.

‘No,’ I said. ‘I have a dog.’

‘Will that be a problem?’

‘I’ll miss …….,’ I said. ‘But …….. can stay with …… father.’ (Robert B. Parker)

10. And when Death at last lays …… icy hand upon you, you will share my Kingdom.

11. The baby was lying on …… back in …… crib, perfectly content.

12. I heard Ryan say to Mr. Bell the Irish Rose (= the boat) is well on …… way by now, so we’ll see …… Friday morning. (Jack Higgins)

13. Our country. In …… intercourse with foreign nations may …… always be in the right; but our country right or wrong! (Stephen Decatur)

14. You know that cat, …… scratched me.

15. One night there flew over the city a little Swallow. …… friends went away to Egypt six weeks before. But …… stayed behind, because …… was in love with the most beautiful Reed. (O. Wilde)

16. Only the dog’s determination to be reunited with …… master kept …… going.

17. The Earth is going to get married, and this is ……bridal dress. (O. Wilde)

18. It was winter, and a night of bitter cold. The snow lay thick upon the ground. And upon the branches of the trees the frost kept snapping the little twigs on either side of them, as they passed. And when they came to the mountain torrent, …… was hanging motionless in the air, for the Ice-King had kissed …… . (O. Wilde)

19. ‘Ugh!’ growled the Wolf, as …… ran through the wood with …… tail between …… legs, ‘this is perfectly terrible weather. Why doesn’t the Government look to it?’ (O. Wilde)

20. They were terribly frightened, because they knew that the Snow is cruel to those who sleep in …… arms. (O. Wilde)

21. So the Star-Child was brought up with the children of the Woodcutter. …… sat at the same board with them, and was their playmate. (O. Wilde)

22. Then came the turn of the Sun. At first …… beamed gently upon the traveller, who soon unclasped his cloak and walked on with it hanging loosely about his shoulders: then …… shone forth in …… full strength, and the man, before he had gone many steps, was glad to throw his coat right off and complete his journey more lightly clad. (Aesop’s Fables)

23. The North Wind had the first try; and, gathering up all …… force for the attack, ……came whirling furiously down upon the man, and caught up his cloak as though …… would wrest it from him by one single effort: but the harder …… blew, the more closely the man wrapped it round himself. (Aesop’s Fables)

24. Love is wiser than Philosophy, though …… is wise, and mightier than Power, though …… is mighty. …… wings are flame-coloured, and …… body is coloured like a flame. …… lips are sweet as honey, and …… breath is like frankincense. (O. Wilde)

25. Then the Nightingale gave one last burst of music. The white Moon heard it, and …… forgot the dawn, and still remained in the sky. (O. Wilde)