Ours is a riverine country. Rivers are every where (a)_______ our life, literature, economy and culture. But are the rivers (b)______ good shape? Unfortunately they are not. Though rivers are part and parcel (c)_______ our life, we ourselves are cruel (d)________ them. A few rivers are already dead and several are going (e)_________ the pangs of death. Some river-grabbers grab river banks and build buildings (f)_______ trade and commerce. Rivers are also getting silted (g)________ deforestation. So, rivers cannot flow (h)________ sufficient water during the rainy season. As a result floods occur and people's sufferings go (i)_________ description. Then rivers become source of sufferings instead (j)__________blessings.
Ours is a riverine country. Rivers are every where (a) in our life, literature, economy and culture. But are the rivers (b) in good shape? Unfortunately they are not. Though rivers are part and parcel (c) of our life, we ourselves are cruel (d) to them. A few rivers are already dead and several are going (e) through the pangs of death. Some river-grabbers grab river banks and build buildings (f) for trade and commerce. Rivers are also getting silted (g) from deforestation. So, rivers cannot flow (h) with sufficient water during the rainy season. As a result floods occur and people's sufferings go (i) beyond description. Then rivers become source of sufferings instead (j) of blessings.
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."