Which, of the following can be called Gerund:

(A) Stop playing.

(B) I love to go hunting.

(C) Kids are sleeping.

(D) Seeing is believing.

(E) They are smoking outside.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

The correct option is (A), (B), (D) Only.

To understand why this is the correct choice, let us analyze what a gerund is and examine each sentence step-by-step.

What is a Gerund?
A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that functions as a noun in a sentence. It can act as a subject, a direct object, a subject complement, or the object of a preposition. In contrast, when an -ing verb form is used alongside an auxiliary verb (like is, are, was, were) to show an action in progress, it functions as a present participle (part of a continuous verb tense).

Let's evaluate each statement:

(A) Stop playing.
In this sentence, "playing" is the direct object of the verb "Stop". Since it acts as a noun representing the activity of play, "playing" is a gerund.

(B) I love to go hunting.
Here, "hunting" is the object of the verb "go" (often categorized as a gerund after verbs of movement like go, come, etc., representing the activity itself). Since it functions as a noun representing the activity, "hunting" is a gerund.

(C) Kids are sleeping.
In this sentence, "are sleeping" is the present continuous verb phrase. "sleeping" is a present participle acting as a verb here to describe what the kids are currently doing. It is not functioning as a noun, so it is not a gerund.

(D) Seeing is believing.
In this sentence, both "Seeing" and "believing" function as nouns. "Seeing" is the subject of the sentence, and "believing" is the subject complement following the linking verb "is". Therefore, both are gerunds.

(E) They are smoking outside.
Similar to statement (C), "are smoking" is a verb phrase in the present continuous tense. "smoking" is a present participle describing the ongoing action of the subject "They". It is not functioning as a noun, so it is not a gerund.

Comparing our findings, the sentences that contain a gerund are (A), (B), and (D). Thus, the correct option is "(A), (B), (D) Only".