Identify the part of speech of the highlighted word in the following sentence:
The miser hated spending money.

Correct option is A

Correct answer: (a) Noun
Important point: Here “spending” is a Gerund (V-ing form used as a noun).
Explanation (in detail):
• Main verb: hated
• “spending money” names an activity/thing that the miser hated.
• So spending functions as a noun (object of ‘hated’).
Example: He enjoys reading books. (reading = gerund/noun)
Grammatical Rule (English):
• Gerund = verb + ing used as a noun (subject/object).
व्याकरणिक नियम (Hindi):
• जब verb + ing किसी कार्य/क्रिया को संज्ञा की तरह (कर्ता/कर्म) दर्शाए, तो वह Gerund (संज्ञा) कहलाता है।
Why other options are incorrect:
• (b) Verb → “spending” यहाँ main action नहीं, activity-name है।
• (c) Adjective → adjective noun को describe करता है; यहाँ नहीं।
• (d) Adverb → verb/adjective को modify करता है; यहाँ नहीं।
Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.