By "reading" travel magazines, I have identified all of the amazing places I plan to visit after college.

Which role does the "verbal" serve in the sentence above?

A. object of the preposition

B. subject of the sentence

C. predicate nominative

D. direct object of the verb

The role of the verb "reading" in the sentence above is as an object of the preposition. The correct answer is option A. Notice that the clause "by reading travel magazines" is introduced by the preposition "by". A preposition always follows the noun. The noun after the preposition used is the word "reading". This noun is a gerund.