Neuter Genders: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know what neuter genders are? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on neuter genders, including the definition, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What is a neuter gender?

According to Grammar Monster, neuter gender is one of three genders in English grammar, which also includes masculine and feminine gender. The masculinity and femininity of a noun often determine the pronouns and adjectives that are used. A noun in English is neuter by default. Many Indo-European languages have a natural gender to words, having both masculine nouns and feminine nouns.  For example, Spanish uses el, ella, lo, la, un, and una for masculine and remanine relative pronouns. According to Dummies, the German suffixes and prefixes can inform different gender:

  •  -ei
  •  -tät
  •  -ment (if foreign/borrowed from another language)
  •  -in (when referring to female people/occupations)
  •  -ik
  •  -lein
  •  -keit
  •  -ade, -age, -anz, -enz, -ette, -ine, -ion, -tur
  •  -chen
  •  -ium
  •  -ich
  •  -ist
  •  -heit
  •  -schaft
  •  Ge-
  •  -ie
  •  -ung
  •  -e
  •  -er (especially when referring to male people/jobs)
  •  -o
  •  -ner
  •  -ismus
  •  -tum or -um

In English grammar, all sexless objects are neuter gender. The first known use of neuter was in the 14th century and its etymology is Latin. Neuter is two syllables – neu-ter – and can also be used in biology to refer to a plant having neither functional pistils nor functional stamens that a worker bee can pollinate.

Female persons prefer being referred to with feminine pronouns, while male persons prefer being referred to by male pronouns. One might also use gendered pronouns with domestic animals. In Modern English, it is important to ask a person’s preferred pronouns.

Many different languages also use different words that mean neuter. You may notice that some of these translations of neuter look similar to the word adjective. These are called cognates, which are often formed when two words have the same root or language of origin.This list of translations of neuter comes via Word Sense, but you can also find translations via other online dictionaries.

  •  Hebrew: סְתָמִי‎ (masc.)
  •  Dutch: onzijdig‎
  •  Korean: 중성의 (jungseong-ui)
  •  Romanian: neutru‎
  •  Telugu: నపుంసకలింగము‎
  •  Bulgarian: среден‎
  •  Slovak: stredný‎
  •  Volapük: neudik‎
  •  Latvian: nekatras dzimtes‎ (fem.) (genitive)
  •  Spanish: neutro‎
  •  Arabic: مُحَايِد‎
  •  Cyrillic: средњи‎
  •  Faroese: hvørkikyn‎
  •  Esperanto: neŭtra‎
  •  Welsh: diryw‎
  •  Belarusian: ніякі‎
  •  Chechen: юкъара род‎
  •  Italian: neutro‎
  •  Khmer: អលិង្គ‎ (ak-ləŋ)
  •  Roman: srednji‎
  •  Portuguese: neutro‎
  •  Greek: ουδέτερος‎ (masc.)
  •  Turkish: nötr‎, yansız‎
  •  Irish: neodrach‎
  •  Hungarian: semleges‎
  •  Danish: intetkøn‎
  •  Latin: neuter‎, neutralis‎
  •  Japanese: 中性‎, 中性的‎
  •  Luxembourgish: sächlech‎
  •  Mandarin: 中性‎
  •  Marathi: नपुसकलिंगी‎ (napusakalingee)
  •  Occitan: neutre‎
  •  French: neutre‎
  •  Russian: сре́дний‎
  •  Czech: střední‎
  •  Finnish: neutrinen‎, neutrisukuinen‎
  •  Ukrainian: середній‎
  •  Polish: nijaki‎
  •  German: neutrisch‎, sächlich‎, neutral‎, neuter‎ (Latin declension, with Latin nouns)

What are examples of neuter genders?

A neuter gender can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or literary technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this term of the day in a sentence today! The following sentences are examples of neuter genders from English Bix that can help get you started incorporating this tool into your everyday use. Try to use the term neuter genders today or notice when someone else is using a neuter gender.

  •  I can use this box to keep my secret stuff.
  •  I took a long drought of the drink he had brought me at so high a price, looking at him over the rim of the glass.
  •  He sat up and looked at her, absently tapping the edge of the piano keys without making a sound.
  •  Instead of being used for serving food, it seems far more likely that it formed a showpiece, displayed prominently at its owner’s banquets.
  •  He was silhouetted by the bright sky behind him and yet Pen felt as if she had just seen his face.
  •  We need to kit the parts for the assembly by Friday so that manufacturing can build the tool.
  •  As the police approached, the car pulled off and sped away into the distance.
  •  One can love one’s neighbors in the abstract, or even at a distance, but at close quarters it’s almost impossible.
  •  It is my wallet.
  •  Each student must ensure their guest signs the registry. 
  •  At the bottom of the case are the two USB ports, a FireWire connection, and a mic and headphone jack.
  •  The uniform for the Wolf Cub Scout is the official blue Cub Scout shirt, Wolf neckerchief, and slide.
  •  What I want is some peace and quiet place.
  •  Pulling her silk robe more tightly around her, Olivia pads over to her night table to pick up a bottle of body lotion.
  •  You made a really, really bad move getting in bed with Microhook, and it will cost you in the end.
  •  I’ve been a long time fan of television, even going so far as to major in it in college.
  •  A day before the sows are ready to farrow, the farrowing boxes are set up in the rooms.
  •  Then, with a felt-tipped pen or sharp pencil, mark the lag screw holes that were drilled in the ledger on the wail.
  •  The end of the book includes a short glossary of terms to help readers with certain concepts such as bel canto, leitmotif, and verismo.
  •  This chair is really comfortable.
  •  This road bends as it crosses the bridge.
  •  The dog took its toy into the house and began tearing it apart on the couch. 
  •  The shark stalked its prey from afar until it was ready to make the attack.

Overall, the term neuter genders refer to sexless objects that have neither a male or female gender in English grammar. 

Sources:

  1. neuter: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  2. Neuter Gender Noun with Examples | English Bix 
  3. Neuter Gender | What Is Neuter Gender in Grammar? | Grammar Monster 
  4. Identifying a German Word’s Gender | dummies