- Masculine: he, his, him.
- Feminine: she, her, hers.
- Neuter: it, its.
All other pronouns vary in gender.
- Robert greeted his employer. [Masculine.]
- A mother passed with her child. [Feminine.]
- This tree has lost its foliage. [Neuter.]
- Who laughed? [Masculine or feminine.]
- How do you do? [Masculine or feminine.]
- They have disappeared. [Masculine, feminine, or neuter.]
- I do not care for either. [Masculine, feminine, or neuter.]
68. A neuter noun may become masculine or feminine by personification ([§ 60]).
Thou who didst waken from his summer dreams
The blue Mediterranean.—Shelley.Stern daughter of the Voice of God!
O Duty!—Wordsworth.Nature from her seat
Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe.—Milton.
69. In speaking of certain objects, such as a ship and the moon, it is customary to use she and her. In like manner, he is used in speaking of the sun and of most animals, without reference to sex, although it often designates an insect or other small creature, and even a very young child.
Who and which are both used in referring to the lower animals. Which is the commoner, but who is not infrequent, especially if the animal is thought of as an intelligent being.
Thus one would say, “The dog which is for sale is in that kennel,” even if one added, “He is a collie.” But which would never be used in such a sentence as, “I have a dog who loves children.”
70. The gender of masculine and of feminine nouns may be shown in various ways.
1. The male and the female of many kinds or classes of living beings are denoted by different words.