Class 1 English Grammar: Understanding Gender (2025-26)
In today’s lesson, we will discuss the gender of nouns. The different genders have been discussed in detail along with the illustrations. Practice questions and solved examples are given throughout the article for better understanding and concept clarity. Let’s begin the journey on this great topic.
English Grammar
Gender of Nouns
Each noun has particular gender, which could be masculine, feminine, or neuter.
The only gender-specific pronouns in the English language are, he and she.
“He” is used to denote the masculine gender while “she” is used to denoting the female gender.
Gender indicates whether a particular noun or pronoun is in the masculine or feminine form.
Most nouns in the English language are not associated with any particular gender.
The prominent gender-related nouns are related to people and animals.
A masculine noun refers to the nouns that show the male subtype. For example, king, priest, duke, viscount, man, boy, father, cock, bull, fox.
A feminine noun refers to the nouns that show the female subtype. For example, queen, priestess, duchess, viscountess, woman, girl, mother, hen, cow, and vixen.
Several nouns in the English language are neither associated with the male nor the female gender. they are associated with the neuter gender. For example, table, chair, village, city, house.
These nouns are usually non-living or inanimate objects, places, or nouns. Hence, these are neither assigned to the feminine nor the masculine gender. These nouns are substituted by the pronoun, ‘it’ in the case of singular nouns, and ‘they’ in the case of plural nouns.
There are several nouns in the English language that contains a lot of nouns that are not associated with any particular gender. These nouns can be represented by both masculine and feminine gender. For example, a teacher, relative, parent, student, or cousin.
In the English language, gendered pronouns are occasionally applied to sexless objects like robots, ships, and, tools. This type of gender is referred to as metaphorical gender. This is due to the personification of the inanimate noun to give a poetic effect or to imply a strong emotional attachment. A common metaphorical gender is utilized while referring to ships
Gender of Nouns
Gender-Specific Words
Genders denote whether a noun or pronoun belongs to the male, female or neuter category.
Gender Specificity in Sentences
Gender of Nouns
It is essential that the noun is associated with the proper gender while being used in a sentence.
Michele is my friend. She is a businesswoman.
Peter is my relative. He is an engineer.
Ander is my colleague. He is an Indian.
Jane is my wife. She is a cop.
She loves her dog.
Difficult Words with Meanings
Summary
In this chapter, we started with the type of genders. We learned the same with different examples. We then discussed the neuter gender. Practice Questions along with the answers and the meaning of the difficult words have been discussed in the end.
Practice Questions
Fill in The Blank Cells With The Appropriate Noun
Answers:
Importance of Gender for Class 1 English Chapter 6
It is important that kids understand their gender at a young age to feel a deep sense of connection with themselves and also understand the world around them.
Most children recognize gender by two years of age, start understanding their own gender by three years, and identify gender identities around them from five to six years of age. So, it impacts their experience of the world from a young age and also plays a part in their sense of self.
Gender awareness helps children explore who they are, peer acceptance, well-being and make connections with others around them.
Gender is centric to all our social relations and it also makes you aware of your power, privilege, rights, and possibilities.
Healthy gender awareness is also fruitful to address issues of violence with peers.
Example of Gender Words for Class 1
Kids learn masculine and feminine gender for Class 1 with pictures and following are some kinds of exercises:
Look at pictures and identify if it is a he or a she.
Write masculine or feminine gender of the given words (change the gender for Class 1):
Waiter, brother, dog, aunt, daughter, sir, grandma, etc.
Select the correct gender for different words:
Mother - feminine/masculine
Father - feminine/masculine
King - feminine/masculine
Queen - feminine/masculine
Emperor - feminine/masculine
Empress - feminine/masculine
Match the masculine and feminine gender in the table:
Some Facts about Gender for Class 1
Gender is a type and generally describes a person’s sex.
Before 1950, the word "gender" was only used in the grammar field to distinguish feminine nouns from masculine nouns, for example, in the Spanish language "day" is feminine, and "house" is masculine. The term "gender" did not refer to people back then. In 1955, a scientist first started using it in novel ways when referring to people that were related to their "sex" and also their behaviour.
Gender expression means how you express your gender to others in various forms like behaviour, thoughts, hairstyle, clothing, your name, etc.
A child’s gender expression is mostly influenced by exposure to stereotypes.
There is evidence to show educators must have gender awareness and be open about the diverse choices of girls and boys to help them develop and learn in an equal manner.
Important Topics of Class 1 English Chapter 6
Learn about different gender words for Class 1 through pictures.
Memorise a table that has a gender list.
- Exercises to practise gender words.
Free PDF Download for Gender List for Class 1
The pdf on the gender list for Class 1 provided by Vedantu has a clear and concise explanation of the gender concept with numerous exercises to solidify the concept for kids.
The pdf is available for free which you can download on your device and access anytime anywhere.
You could print out the pdf and solve the exercises even when you do not have access to the internet.
The pdf is apt for quick revision as it covers all topics of the definition of gender for Class 1.
The subject matter experts have followed the latest CBSE curriculum to design the content of masculine and feminine gender for Class 1. Vedantu's free PDF on this topic is going to be a great resource for the little ones in grasping the topic easily and getting high scores in their exams.
FAQs on Class 1 English Grammar: Understanding Gender (2025-26)
1. How do you solve questions on gender in the NCERT Class 1 English textbook?
To solve questions on gender for Class 1, you should follow a simple method. First, identify if the noun (person or animal) is a male or a female.
- Words for males are called Masculine Gender (e.g., boy, man, king, father).
- Words for females are called Feminine Gender (e.g., girl, woman, queen, mother).
2. What are some common masculine and feminine gender pairs a Class 1 student should know for NCERT exercises?
The NCERT solutions for Class 1 English often focus on common gender pairs to build a strong foundation. Students should practice matching these words:
- Boy - Girl
- Man - Woman
- Father - Mother
- Brother - Sister
- King - Queen
- Uncle - Aunt
- Grandfather - Grandmother
3. How do you correctly use 'He' and 'She' when solving sentence-based questions on gender?
Using 'He' and 'She' correctly is a key part of the NCERT solutions for this topic. The rule is simple:
- Use 'He' when talking about one boy, man, or any male person/animal (masculine gender). For example, "This is Rohan. He is a good boy."
- Use 'She' when talking about one girl, woman, or any female person/animal (feminine gender). For example, "This is Priya. She has a doll."
4. Why is learning about masculine and feminine gender important for a Class 1 student?
Understanding gender is a fundamental step in learning English grammar. It helps a Class 1 student in two main ways:
- Correct Sentence Formation: It teaches them to use the correct pronouns like 'he' and 'she', which makes their sentences grammatically accurate.
- Vocabulary Building: It helps them learn pairs of words (like king-queen, father-mother), which expands their vocabulary and understanding of relationships.
5. Besides people, do animals also have masculine and feminine gender words in Class 1 English?
Yes, the concept of gender in the Class 1 NCERT syllabus also applies to animals. Learning these helps in solving a wider range of questions. Some simple examples you might find in your textbook exercises are:
- Masculine: Lion, Tiger, Rooster
- Feminine: Lioness, Tigress, Hen
6. How do the NCERT Solutions for Class 1 help if I get confused between a boy's name and a girl's name?
The NCERT Solutions for Class 1 English (2025-26) are designed to be very clear. For gender exercises, they use very common and easily recognisable names. For instance, names like Rahul, Amit, and Raj are used for the masculine gender, while names like Priya, Sita, and Rina are used for the feminine gender. The solutions provide clear examples, so you can practise and learn to identify them easily.
7. Are there any words for things that are not 'he' or 'she' in English grammar for Class 1?
That's an excellent question! While the Class 1 NCERT syllabus primarily focuses on masculine (he) and feminine (she) genders, non-living things like a 'ball', 'book', or 'chair' do not have a gender. They are referred to using the word 'it'. For example, "This is a ball. It is round." Although this is called the 'neuter gender', you will learn more about it in higher classes. For now, focusing on 'he' for males and 'she' for females is the main goal.
