Here's a breakdown:
Masculine:
* Nouns: Typically refer to male beings, such as "man," "boy," "king."
* Pronouns: "He," "him," "his."
* Adjectives: "Masculine," "male," "manly."
Feminine:
* Nouns: Typically refer to female beings, such as "woman," "girl," "queen."
* Pronouns: "She," "her," "hers."
* Adjectives: "Feminine," "female," "womanly."
Neutral:
* Nouns: Many nouns in English are neutral, meaning they don't have a specific masculine or feminine gender. Examples include "chair," "table," "tree."
* Pronouns: "It," "its."
* Adjectives: "Neutral," "common."
Important Note: While English does have grammatical genders, they are not as strict as in other languages like French, Spanish, or German. In English, gender is mainly determined by the noun's meaning (e.g., "man" is masculine, "woman" is feminine), but there are exceptions, and some nouns can be used in both genders.
For example, "teacher" can refer to both male and female teachers.
Here are some further points to consider:
* Historically: English used to have a more complex system of genders, but it has simplified over time.
* Modern Language: Today, gender neutrality is increasingly emphasized, particularly in contexts where it might be considered unfair or exclusionary to default to masculine or feminine genders.
* Gender and Sexuality: Grammatical genders are distinct from gender identity and sexual orientation.
Ultimately, the concept of masculine and feminine in English grammar is a linguistic one, and its use and interpretation can be nuanced.