What part of speech is preparing?

"Preparing" can be a few different parts of speech depending on its use in a sentence:

* Gerund: When used as the subject of a sentence or as the object of a verb or preposition, "preparing" acts as a noun.

* Example: Preparing for the presentation was a lot of work. (Subject)

* Example: I enjoy preparing meals. (Object of the verb "enjoy")

* Example: She was busy with preparing the ingredients. (Object of the preposition "with")

* Present Participle: When used as part of a verb phrase, "preparing" acts as a verb.

* Example: They are preparing for the big game.

* Example: I was preparing dinner when the phone rang.

So, the part of speech of "preparing" depends on its function in the sentence.