Topic: Gerunds & Participles,

Best Answer Explained in Below-:

In the phrase "without stopping," the word "stopping" functions as a gerund. A gerund is a verb form that ends in -ing and serves as a noun in a sentence. In this context, "stopping" is not performing an action like a verb would; rather, it represents the concept of cessation or halting in a general sense.

The preposition "without" requires a noun to complete its meaning, and "stopping" fulfills this role. It is the object of the preposition, indicating the action that is not being taken. This usage highlights the essence of a gerund: it retains the action quality of a verb while acting as a noun.

To differentiate it from the other options: "A) a verb" would imply that "stopping" is performing an action, which it is not in this context; "C) an adjective" would suggest that it is describing a noun, which it does not; and "D) an infinitive" refers to the base form of a verb preceded by "to," which doesn’t apply here. Thus, the correct choice is B) a gerund.