What part of speech is the bolded phrase in the sentence below? Is it a gerund or a participle?
Thinking critically is a skill
(1 point)
Responses
noun, gerund
noun, gerund
adjective, gerund
adjective, gerund
noun, participle
noun, participle
adjective, participle
adjective, participle
The bolded phrase "Thinking critically" is a noun and a gerund in this sentence.
To determine whether the bolded phrase is a gerund or a participle, we first need to understand the differences between the two.
A gerund is a verb form that acts as a noun. It is created by adding the "-ing" suffix to a verb. In a sentence, a gerund can function as the subject, object, or complement.
A participle, on the other hand, is a verb form that acts as an adjective. There are two types of participles: present participles and past participles. Present participles are created by adding the "-ing" suffix to a verb, while past participles usually end in "-ed" or "-en." Participles modify nouns or pronouns in a sentence.
Now, let's analyze the bolded phrase in the given sentence: "Thinking critically is a skill."
The phrase "Thinking critically" is functioning as the subject of the sentence, describing what the skill is. It does not modify a noun, nor does it act as an adjective modifying a noun. Therefore, the bolded phrase is a gerund, making the correct answer "noun, gerund."