To use words correctly, you need to understand what kind of words they are. Here is coffee, for example, of a middle masculine gender? If average, then you need to say: "My coffee has cooled down." And if it’s for a man, “My coffee has cooled.” How not to be considered an illiterate person, determining the middle gender?
What are the words of the middle gender. Examples
The division of parts of speech by childbirth (female, middle and male) is inherent not only in the Russian language. Determines the middle gender ending of a word. Generic nouns are usually inanimate, although there are exceptions:
- being,
- animal,
- monster,
- deity,
- child,
- the monster
- person (official).
If a word comes from another language, has an ending in a vowel, inanimate, and according to the established tradition is not inclined, it is considered a middle gender.
Generic nouns answer the question: whose is it? If about a word you can say: “It is mine”, then this is a noun of a secondary gender. The ending of such words is of two types:
- -Oh, -th, -th, -th . These, for example, are such words: cache-pot, lake, muffler, gun, understanding.
- - me . For example, stirrup, crown, name.
Words of the middle gender can be not only nouns, but also adjectives, numerals and pronouns.
Is coffee it or is it?
It seems that the word "coffee" does not obey the rule: it ends in "e", but not of the middle, but of the masculine one. Is this an exception? Not really. The fact is that the word together with the drink came to Russia with Peter the Great. Tea has long been known, and by analogy with this drink, the novelty was called "coffee." Then no one doubted that the word was masculine. Its diminutive version of "coffee" and now is beyond doubt.
Over time, the word "coffee" became obsolete, it was replaced by "coffee". The word has become unbending. And here a paradox arose. According to the rules, this word should have a middle gender. That is why, intuitively, people began to use “coffee” as a middle-word. A process has begun that translated the word “metro” from masculine to secondary. You probably remember Utesov’s song: “But the metro sparkled with oak railing ...”
Why do linguists not recognize the middle gender for coffee? Because this word is on a special account. The use of it in the middle kind is contrary to the literary tradition, therefore it is perceived as illiterate. Coffee was on the list of words for which carriers of literate Russian speech are fighting. These are the words contract, calls, blinds, cottage cheese, security and several others.
And although since 2002 it has been possible to say “my coffee” in colloquial speech, only the masculine gender is recognized in writing.
Declination
Changing words by case is called declension. Generic words with endings may be inclined. The following rules exist for neuter nouns (see table).
Case | Singular | Plural |
I.P. | -o, -e, -e: window, building, spearhead | -a, -i: windows, fields, buildings, trees |
R.P. | -a, -i: windows, buildings, edge | Zero ending, s, s, s: windows, fields, trees |
D.P. | -u, -u: window, building, edge | -am, -y: windows, fields, trees |
V.P. | -o, -e, -e: window, building, spearhead | -a, -i: windows, fields, buildings, trees |
T.P. | th, eat, th: window, building, edge | s, s: windows, points |
P.P. | -e, -i: about health, about the building, on the edge | -ah, -yah: about windows, about trees |
Common mistakes
A typical mistake was the incorrect definition of the gender of certain words. Because of the ending “o,” which is pronounced “a,” in an unstressed version, some people decline such words in a feminine form. Example:
- The buffet sells pies with jam, manga and dried apricots.
- We saw the natives living in the bungalow .
- The neighbors bought a piano .
The correct options would be to use highlighted words in the form of a neuter gender. That is: with jam, with mangoes, in a bungalow, bought a piano.
The second common mistake is an attempt to change indeclinable nouns according to cases. Not only children are confused, and incredible words of a female, male, middle gender arise.
Words that do not change in cases. Examples
In addition to the declined, there are also unchanged by case words of the middle kind:
- Arpeggio
- sconce
- video,
- graffiti,
- jelly beans
- neckline
- coupe
- Cafe,
- mango,
- mini,
- neutrino,
- penalty,
- piano,
- rendezvous
- solo,
- trio,
- Taxi,
- Fuete
- facsimile.
This list is far from complete. Therefore, if you encounter difficulties, it is better to turn to dictionaries.
How to remember words without endings: game
In order not to make mistakes in declension, there is a simple and fun way to check. Try to put these words in several different cases. If it turns out funny and ridiculous, then this word does not incline in cases.
Example:
- Kangaroo put on pence (wrong, there is no such word, you need to put "pince-nez").
- To get to the cafe, I went by taxi (it will be correct: “taxi”).
- We ate too much cream brulee, blanmange and dragee (right: "creme brulee, blanmange and dragee").
- I'll meet you near the depot and go watch the Dynamo movie (you need: “near the depot, the Dynamo movie).
- I am dissatisfied with the passe-partout with a photo and pannah (it will be competent: “passe-partout with a photo and a panel”).
Play this game with the kids. It is uncomplicated, the main thing is not to forget that these words are not inclined in cases. Regular word games develop intelligence and replenish vocabulary. Soon the child will feel how to build a phrase and use words, and will not make mistakes.