What do you call verbs that are used as nouns or modifiers in sentence​

Read the selection below and answer the question. an open boat by alfred noyes o, what is that whimpering there in the darkness? 

 'let him lie in my arms. he is breathing, i know.
 look. i'll wrap all my hair round his neck' – the sea's rising,
 the boat must be lightened. he's dead. he must go.' 


 see - quick - by that flash, where the bitter foam tosses, 
 the cloud of white faces, in the black open boat, 
 and the wild pleading woman that clasps her dead lover 
 and wraps her loose hair round his breast and his throat.
 'come, lady, he's dead.' - 'no, i feel his heart beating,
 he's living, i know. but he's numbed with the cold. 
 see, i'm wrapping my hair all around him to warm him.' -
- 'no. we can't keep the dead, dear. come, loosen your hold.

 'come. loosen your fingers.' - 'o god, let me keep him! ' -
 o, hide it, black night! let the winds have their way! 
 and there are no voices or ghosts from that darkness, 
 to fret the bare seas at the breaking of day. the imagery and word choice in the second stanza creates a tone of liveliness and joy danger and gloom silence and peace anger and hostility

Which of the following words in bold means “to put before something else”? a) the broken device sat unused in a box. b) jose wanted to defermaking a decision about college until the spring. c) ashok’s counsel was to go to the store tomorrow. d) i would prefer to go to a movie this weekend instead of the play.

If you wanted to figure out a topic and some details about that topic you would want to use a ?