<p>The cost of a(safely disposing) of the toxic chemicals b(is approximately) c(five times what) the company paid d(to purchase it) e(no error)</p>
<p>I get why the answer is d
but a just doesn't seem right</p>
<p>Shouldn't it be "the cost of safely disposing toxic chemicals"
or "the cost of safe disposal of toxic chemicals"
can "safely disposing" be a noun?</p>
<p>Hey kej995…</p>
<p>Shouldn’t it be “the cost of safely disposing toxic chemicals”
This wouldn’t work because you do not “dispose something.” Rather, you "dispose
of
it." (You’d say, “He disposed of the trash,” not “He disposed the trash.”)</p>
<p>“the cost of safe disposal of toxic chemicals”
This wording would probably be acceptable, but there is nothing wrong with underline A as written. On this type of question (the “error detections”), just because an underline can be phrased in a different way doesn’t mean that the underline is wrong as written.</p>
<p>To answer your last question, adding an “-ing” to a verb changes the verb into one of a few things, one of which is a “gerund,” and yes, gerunds function as nouns.</p>
<p>For example, in the sentence, “Singing in the rain makes me happy,” “Singing,” a gerund, is a noun and the subject of the verb “makes.”</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>