For the correct use of words, you need to understand what kind they are. Here is coffee, for example, the middle masculine gender? If the average, then you need to say: "My coffee is cold." And if male - "My coffee is cold." How not to pass for an illiterate person, defining the middle gender?
What are neuter words. Examples
The division of parts of speech into genders (female, neuter and male) is inherent not only in the Russian language. Determines whether the ending of a word belongs to the neuter gender. Neutral nouns are usually inanimate, although there are exceptions:
- creature,
- animal,
- monster,
- deity,
- child,
- monster,
- face (official).
If a word comes from another language, ends in a vowel, is inanimate, and traditionally does not decline, it is considered neuter.
Neutral nouns answer the question: whose is it? If you can say about a word: “It is mine,” then this is a neuter noun. There are two types of endings for such words:
- -o, -e, -e, -e. These are, for example, such words: planter, lake, muffler, gun, understanding.
- -me. For example, stirrup, crown, name.
Neutral words can be not only nouns, but also adjectives, numerals and pronouns.
Coffee - it or he?
It seems that the word "coffee" does not obey the rule: it ends in "e", but it is not neuter, but masculine. Is this an exception? Not really. The fact is that the word, along 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 is masculine. His diminutive version of "coffee" and now no doubt.
Over time, the word "coffee" became obsolete, it was replaced by "coffee". The word became indeclinable. And here a paradox arose. According to the rules, this word should have a neuter gender. This is why, intuitively, people began to use "coffee" as a neuter word. There was a process that translated the word "metro" from the masculine to the middle. You probably remember Utyosov's song: "But the subway flashed with oak railings…"
Why don't linguists recognize the neuter as coffee? Because this word has a special meaning. Its use in the middle gender contradicts the literary tradition, therefore it is perceived as illiterate. Coffee is on the list of words for which literate Russian speakers are fighting. These are the words contract, ringing, blinds, cottage cheese, provision and several others.
Although since 2002years in colloquial speech, you can say "my coffee", in writing only the masculine gender is recognized.
Declination
Changing words by case is called declension. Words of the middle gender with an ending can be declined. There are the following rules for neuter nouns (see table).
| Case | Singular | Plural |
| I. P. | -o, -e, -e: window, building, point | -a, -z: windows, fields, buildings, trees |
| R. P. | -a, -z: windows, buildings, spikes | Zero ending, -ey, ev, ov: windows, fields, trees |
| D. P. | -u, -u: window, building, point | -am, -yam: windows, fields, trees |
| B. P. | -o, -e, -e: window, building, point |
-a, -z: windows, fields, buildings, trees |
| T. P. | th, eat, -em: window, building, point | -ami, -ami: windows, points |
| P. P. | -e, -i: about he alth, about the building, on the cutting edge | -ah, -ah: windows, trees |
Common Mistakes
A typical mistake was the incorrect definition of the gender of some words. Due to the ending "o", which is pronounced as "a" in the unstressed version, some inflect such words according tofeminine form. Example:
- The buffet sells pies with marmalade, mango and dried apricots.
- We saw natives living in a bungalow.
- Neighbors bought a piano.
The correct options would be to use underlined words in the neuter form. That is: with jam, with mango, in a bungalow, bought a piano.
The second common mistake is trying to change indeclinable nouns in cases. Not only children get confused, and incredible words of feminine, masculine, neuter gender appear.
Words that do not change by case. Examples
Besides inflected words, there are also neuter words that are invariable in cases:
- arpeggio,
- bra,
- video,
- graffiti,
- dree,
- neckline,
- coupe,
- cafe,
- mango,
- mini,
- neutrino,
- pen alty,
- piano,
- rendezvous,
- solo,
- trio,
- taxi,
- fuette,
- facsimile.
This list is far from complete. Therefore, if you have any difficulties, it is better to turn to dictionaries.
How to remember words without endings: the 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 decline in cases.
Example:
- Kangarooput on a pince-nez (wrong, there is no such word, you need to put “pince-nez”).
- To get to the cafe, I took a taxi (it would be correct: "taxi").
- We gorged ourselves on creme brulee, blancmange and jelly beans (that's right: "creme brulee, blancmange and jelly beans")
- Meet me near the depot and let's go watch the Dynamo movie (need: "near the depot, Dynamo movie")
- I am dissatisfied with the passe-partout with a photo and a panel (it would be correct like this: “passe-partout with a photo and a panel”).
Play this game with your kids. It is simple, the main thing is not to forget that these words do not decline in cases. Regular games with words develop intelligence and replenish vocabulary. Soon the child will feel how to build a phrase and use words, and will not make mistakes.
