Books are really our best friends as we can rely (a) ____ them when we are bored, upset, depressed, lonely or annoyed. They share (b) ____ us information and knowledge whenever we need. They enable us to have a glimpse (c) ____ cultures, traditions, arts, history, geography, health, psychology and many other subjects and aspects of life. Good books always guide us (d) ____ the right path (e) ____ life. Reading good books helps us understand the world (f) ___ us better. While reading books, we build new and creative thoughts, images and opinions (g) ____ our mind. This habit helps us explore life (h) ____ different perspectives. In other words, it has several positive effects (i) _____ our body, mind and soul. In fact, the habit of reading is one (j) _____ the best qualities that a person can possess.
Books are really our best friends as we can rely (a) on them when we are bored, upset, depressed, lonely or annoyed. They share (b) with us information and knowledge whenever we need. They enable us to have a glimpse (c) of cultures, traditions, arts, history, geography, health, psychology and many other subjects and aspects of life. Good books always guide us (d) on the right path (e) in life. Reading good books helps us understand the world (f) around us better. While reading books, we build new and creative thoughts, images and opinions (g) in our mind. This habit helps us explore life (h) from different perspectives. In other words, it has several positive effects (i) on our body, mind and soul. In fact, the habit of reading is one (j) of the best qualities that a person can possess.
In formal English, the conjunction "as" is used to introduce a clause or a phrase that indicates a comparison or the manner in which something is done. In this sentence, "as in the old days" describes how the evening was spent, implying "in the way it was done in the old days."
Conversely, "like" is primarily used as a preposition to mean "similar to" or "in the manner of," and is typically followed by a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase. While "like" is often used informally in place of "as" or "as if," it is generally considered incorrect in standard written English when introducing a clause or an adverbial phrase of comparison.
For example:
Incorrect: She sings like she is a professional.
Correct: She sings as if she is a professional.
Correct: She sings like a professional. (Here, 'like' is a preposition followed by a noun phrase 'a professional'.)
Therefore, "as in the old days" is the grammatically correct and more formal choice for this context.
In English grammar, the verb 'call' can be used in several ways, and its usage dictates whether a preposition is required. When 'call' means 'to telephone someone', it functions as a transitive verb and directly takes an object without any preposition. For example, one would say "Please call Mr. Khan" to mean telephoning him.
Conversely, if 'call' is used to mean 'to pay a brief visit to someone', it typically forms a phrasal verb with the preposition 'on', as in "to call on someone". For instance, "We will call on our neighbours tomorrow."
Given the structure "Please call – Mr. Khan tomorrow morning", the most common and grammatically appropriate interpretation is that Mr. Khan should be telephoned. Therefore, no preposition is needed in the blank, and the sentence correctly reads "Please call Mr. Khan tomorrow morning."