Final answer:
The word 'coloring' in the sentence 'On rainy days, Andrew enjoys coloring.' is acting as a noun and is therefore identified as a 'c. Gerund.' The correct answer is option c.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sentence 'On rainy days, Andrew enjoys coloring.' contains a word in bold that we need to identify. The task is to determine whether this word is a present participle, an infinitive, a gerund, or a verb in general. Here, the word 'coloring' is functioning as a noun because it is the activity that Andrew enjoys. When an -ing form of a verb is used as a noun, it is known as a gerund. Therefore, the correct option to classify the word in bold is 'c. Gerund.'
It is important to make the distinction between different verbals like infinitives, gerunds, and participles, as they can have different functions in a sentence. Gerunds always act as nouns, infinitives can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs, and present participles often act as adjectives.
Note that gerunds can be difficult to spot since they appear in the same form as present participles, but their function within the sentence is what differentiates them.
In this context, 'coloring' is what Andrew enjoys doing, which signifies it is acting in a noun capacity. Hence, the correct answer for the student's question would be 'c. Gerund.'