* Gerund: When "fluttering" acts as the subject of the sentence or the object of a verb or preposition.
* Example: Fluttering is a beautiful sight. (subject)
* Example: I love watching fluttering butterflies. (object of the verb "watching")
* Participle: When "fluttering" modifies a noun or pronoun.
* Example: The fluttering birds flew away. (modifies "birds")
* Example: With fluttering wings, the moth landed on the flower. (modifies "wings")
It's NOT a preposition. Prepositions show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence. Examples: on, in, at, to, from, etc.
It's NOT a verb in this form. It's the present participle form of the verb "flutter." The verb form would be "flutter" or "fluttering" used in a sentence.
Let me know if you'd like more examples or explanations!