Speaking ill (a) _____ others is a very bad human tendency. It develops a negative inclination (b) _____ one's mind. This habit tempts one (c) _____ indulge (d) _____ a negative approach out of his unsound mind. It leaves bad effects (e) _____ human individuals and society. It also hampers the happy and smooth run (f) ___ the society. People very often burst (g) ____ tears (h) ____ this heinous act. We all should be aware (i) _____ it and give (j) ____ this bad habit.
Speaking ill (a) of others is a very bad human tendency. It develops a negative inclination (b) to one's mind. This habit tempts one (c) to indulge (d) in a negative approach out of his unsound mind. It leaves bad effects (e) on human individuals and society. It also hampers the happy and smooth run (f) of the society. People very often burst (g) into tears (h) at this heinous act. We all should be aware (i) of it and give (j) up this bad habit.
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."