Question

Classify the following nouns according to their genders: ant, balloon, biscuit, book, bull, countess, cousin, dancer, doe, doll, father, flock, grass, headmistress, hero, horse, neighbour, nephew, priest, rat, sister, teacher, tigress, wide.
The categories are masculine gender, feminine gender, common gender, and neuter gender.

Answer 1

Hint:
Try to look for pointers in the given options and try to understand the meaning of each word. Then, choose the word that is most likely to be a feminine/masculine/common/neuter noun out of the given options.

Complete answer:
 Gender is defined as the classifying of a noun or pronoun is feminine in gender, masculine in gender, or neuter in gender. An example of gender is the word ‘man’ which is a masculine noun, and its feminine noun is ‘woman’.
There are pre-assigned genders in English, meaning that it is not subject to change. They cannot be changed under any circumstances. However, there is a third gender in English called ‘neuter gender’ which is assigned to inanimate objects that do not possess gender or do not classify to be gendered. Some words are considered to have a common gender. For example, the word ‘professor’ is used for both genders. This means that this word can be used interchangeably for both genders.

Now, let us go through each word one by one.
The word ‘ant’ refers to ‘a small insect’. This word is common for both genders. So. this is a common gender noun.
The word ‘balloon’ refers to ‘a small coloured rubber bag which is inflated with air’. This word is considered an inanimate object. So, this is a neuter gender noun.
The word ‘biscuit’ refers to ‘a small baked unleavened cake’. This word is considered an inanimate object. So, this is a neuter gender noun.
The word ‘book’ refers to ‘a written or printed work consisting of pages’. This word is considered an inanimate object. So, this is a neuter gender noun.
The word ‘bull’ refers to ‘an uncastrated male bovine animal’. This word refers to the masculine cattle. So, this is a masculine gender noun.
The word ‘countess’ refers to ‘the wife or widow of a count or earl’. This word refers to the feminine counterpart of ‘count’. So, this is a feminine gender noun.
The word ‘cousin’ refers to ‘the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt’. This word is common for both genders. So. this is a common gender noun.
The word ‘dancer’ refers to ‘a person who dances or whose profession is dancing’. This word is common for both genders. So. this is a common gender noun.
The word ‘doe’ refers to ‘a female deer’. This word refers to the feminine counterpart of ‘buck’. So, this is a feminine gender noun.
The word ‘doll’ refers to ‘a small model of a human figure’. This word is considered an inanimate object. So, this is a neuter gender noun.
The word ‘father’ refers to ‘a man in relation to his child or children’. This word refers to the masculine parent. So, this is a masculine gender noun.
The word ‘flock’ refers to ‘a number of animals of one kind’. This word is considered an inanimate object. So, this is a neuter gender noun.
The word ‘grass’ refers to ‘herbage suitable or used for grazing animals’. This word is considered an inanimate object. So, this is a neuter gender noun.
The word ‘headmistress’ refers to ‘a woman who is the head of a school’. This word refers to the feminine counterpart of ‘headmaster’. So, this is a feminine gender noun.
The word ‘hero’ refers to ‘a person noted for courageous acts’. This word refers to the masculine counterpart of heroine. So, this is a masculine gender noun.
The word ‘horse’ refers to ‘a large solid-hoofed herbivorous ungulate mammal’. This word refers to the masculine cattle. So, this is a masculine gender noun.
The word ‘neighbour’ refers to ‘a person who lives near or next to another’. This word is common for both genders. So. this is a common gender noun.
The word ‘nephew’ refers to ‘a son of one's brother or sister’. This word refers to the masculine counterpart of niece. So, this is a masculine gender noun.
The word ‘priest’ refers to ‘one authorised to perform the sacred rites of a religion’. This word refers to the masculine counterpart of nun. So, this is a masculine gender noun.
The word ‘rat’ refers to ‘any of numerous rodents’. This word refers to the masculine pest. So, this is a masculine gender noun.
The word ‘sister’ refers to ‘a female who has one or both parents in common with another’. This word refers to the feminine counterpart of ‘brother’. So, this is a feminine gender noun.
The word ‘teacher’ refers to ‘a person who helps students to acquire knowledge’. This word is common for both genders. So. this is a common gender noun.
The word ‘tigress’ refers to ‘a female tiger’. This word refers to the feminine counterpart of ‘tiger’. So, this is a feminine gender noun.
The word ‘wife’ refers to ‘a female partner in a continuing marital relationship’. This word refers to the masculine counterpart of husband. So, this is a masculine gender noun.

Note:
 In gender assigning, in English, the inanimate objects are considered as neuter gender. The nouns in the given question have an assigned gender in the English language. Make sure to double-check your answers.