ব্যাখ্যা
Understanding grammatical gender is essential for BCS English grammar questions.
Four Types of Gender in English:
1. Masculine Gender: Refers to male beings (e.g., king, actor, boy)
2. Feminine Gender: Refers to female beings (e.g., queen, actress, girl)
3. Neuter Gender: Refers to things without life (e.g., book, table, computer)
4. Common Gender: Refers to beings that can be either male or female
Why "Neighbour" is Common Gender:
A neighbour can be a man or a woman — the word does not specify sex. Therefore it belongs to Common Gender.
More Common Gender examples:
— Student, teacher, doctor, friend, cousin, parent, child, person, enemy, ally, worker, artist
Test to identify Common Gender:
If you can say "he/she" for the noun without changing its meaning, it is Common Gender.
— "My neighbour ... he/she is very kind." → Both work → Common Gender
✗ Neuter Gender: Used for lifeless things — a neighbour is a person, not a thing
Source: A Practical English Grammar — Thomson & Martinet; Wren & Martin English Grammar.