Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.

The young man didn't stop ____ although I asked him twice.

• A. is smoking
• B. smoked
• C. smoking
• D. to smoke

Answer 1

The correct option is C smoking

Gerunds are words that are formed with verbs but act as nouns. Gerunds also at times are seen to end in 'ing'. In this particular sentence, the word in the blank acts a noun thus becoming the subject of the sentence and also like a verb by taking up the object. This means that in the blank, we would need a gerund.

Option C: Smoking is a gerund as it behaves as a noun as well as a verb in the sentence

Option B: Smoked is in the past tense.

Option A: Is smoking is in the continuous present tense.

Option D: To smoke is in the present tense.

Option C is correct.