Respuesta :
The answer is encountering because a gerund phrase is a verbal ending in ing that also works as a noun.
A gerund is a word that is ending with ‘ing’. A gerund phrase can function as a subject, direct object, indirect object and can come after a preposition. In the sentence, ‘encountering a bear’ is the gerund phrase.
The points that prove the statement are:
- The word ‘encounter’ ends with ‘ing’ in the sentence.
- 'Encountering a bear' comes at the beginning of the sentence. It denotes that the gerund phrase forms the subject of the sentence.
- There are no other words in the statement ending with ‘ing’.
Thus, a gerund phrase can come at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the sentence.
To know more about the gerund phrase: https://brainly.com/question/11017355