What part of speech is eating?

"Eating" can be a few different parts of speech depending on how it's used in a sentence:

* Verb: This is the most common use. Example: "The dog is eating its food."

* Gerund: This is a verb acting as a noun. Example: "Eating is a necessity."

* Present participle: This is part of a verb phrase. Example: "He is eating slowly."

Let me know if you'd like more examples!