What part of speech is the word burning?

The word "burning" can be a few different parts of speech, depending on how it's used in a sentence:

* Present participle: When used as a present participle, it acts as a verb (e.g., "The fire is burning brightly.")

* Adjective: It can also describe a noun, making it an adjective (e.g., "The burning sun caused a heat wave.")

* Gerund: When used as a noun, it's a gerund (e.g., "Burning leaves is illegal in some areas.")

To determine the correct part of speech, you need to look at its role within the sentence.