Question

Persevering will help you achieve your goals. The highlighted word is persevering. What part of speech is being used?

Answer 1

It is a Gerund. Thats why it is.

Answer 2

In this particular sentence the word 'persevering' is a gerund. Gerund is a part of speech which is a verb form functioning as a noun. Also, the most recognizable peculiarity of gerund is ending -ing. But in order to identify whether it is a gerund or not, you need a context.