Question

After Yates married William Ward Yates in 1889, she had two children and stayed devoted to learning and literature.

How is the underlined gerund used in this sentence?

A.
as the object of a prepositional phrase

B.
as an adjective modifying literature

C.
as the verb in an infinitive phrase with to

D.
as the main verb in the sentence

Answer 1

A. as the object of a prepositional phrase

Explanation: In "stayed devoted to learning and literature," the word "to" is a preposition, and "learning" (a gerund) is the noun object of that preposition (paired with "literature"). It is not an infinitive or the sentence's main verb.