The Grammarphobia Blog: Is a country a “she” or an “it”? (2024)

FAQs

Do you refer to a country as he, she, or it? ›

Should she or it be used as a pronoun for a country? A. Never use she to refer to a country. You'll sound as if you either don't know English or last studied it in 1950.

A country is properly referred to as an "it." It's only a literary tradition in English to use "he" or "she" for a country for literary effect. For factual or information writing, use "it" and "its."

Yes, Country is a common noun. It can be a proper noun only when you name the country like India, China, etc.

Herself is sometimes used to refer to a country or nation. Britain's dream of herself began to fade. People sometimes use herself to refer to a car, machine, or ship. Some people think it is better to use 'itself' when referring to these things.

It's not gender-neutral, it's the use of the feminine for a non-living being, which happens sometimes (i.e. vehicles, ships) and in this category where she is used, are countries. Most people would use it, it sort of adds a nuance of admiration on behalf of the speaker by using the feminine pronoun.

It is always safe to use the neuter pronoun it for countries, cars, and ships. But the rules are a little more complex. “Things that contain people” can be referred to with feminine pronouns.

As a general rule, countries that end in -e are feminine: la France, l'Angleterre, la Chine, l'Argentine, l'Algérie, la Colombie, la Mauritanie, l'Inde.

I believe that this is explained, at least in part, by the influence of Latin, used by the educated classes until relatively recent times. In Latin, Moon (luna), Church (Ecclesia), ship (navis) and country names (like Britannia) are grammatically feminine.

Cities are usually referred to as it, unless the writer is being poetic, in which case you might see she. Ships are usually referred to as she.

Historically, "her" was commonly used as a pronoun for not only women, but also for both countries and ships (e.g. sailing vessels). However, that usage has more or less fallen out of favor, and instead "its" has become the preferred pronoun.

How do you use country as a noun in a sentence? ›

[singular] any area outside towns and cities, with fields, woods, farms, etc. in the country I live in the country. We spent a pleasant day in the country. The house is at the end of a narrow country lane.

Answer and Explanation:

Some proper nouns referring to a country include: United State of America, Canada, Mexico, China, Indonesia, Tunisia, South Africa, Chile, and Argentina. While the word ''country,'' as is, functions as a common noun, the names of specific countries are known as proper nouns.

Both the Associated Press and the New York Times style books, for example, recommend using “it” or “its” to refer to ships and countries.

You must have a defined territory. You must have a permanent population. You must have a government. Your government must be capable of interacting with other states.

An exonym is a name of a person, a people group, language, or place used by people of other places and languages. An endonym is a name that people of a certain place and language call themselves. For example, the endonym of Germany is Deutschland, because that is what Germans call their country.

Both the Associated Press and the New York Times style books, for example, recommend using “it” or “its” to refer to ships and countries.

Historically, "her" was commonly used as a pronoun for not only women, but also for both countries and ships (e.g. sailing vessels). However, that usage has more or less fallen out of favor, and instead "its" has become the preferred pronoun.

The exceptions include the names of countries and ships. Countries and ships do not have any biological gender, so we should use the neuter personal pronoun. And this is fine. We often use the neuter personal pronouns IT/ITS.

Cities and countries don't have gender in English. Sometimes, however, the a city or country is referred to as "she", especially in poetic contexts.