A craftwork is an applied form (a) ____ art, a social and cultural product reflecting the inclusive nature (b) ____ folk imagination. A craftwork, which usually doesn't bear the signature of its maker, retains a personal touch. When we look (c) ____ a thirty years old Nakshi Kantha, we wonder (d) ____ its motif and designs that point (e) _____ the artistic ingenuity and the presence of the maker (f) ____ it. The fact that we do not know her name or any other detail (g) _____ her does not take anything ____ (h) _____ from our appreciation (i) ____ the artist. Indeed, the intimate nature (j) _____ the Kantha and the tactile feeling it generates animate the work and make it very inviting.
A craftwork is an applied form (a) of art, a social and cultural product reflecting the inclusive nature (b) of folk imagination. A craftwork, which usually doesn't bear the signature of its maker, retains a personal touch. When we look (c) at a thirty years old Nakshi Kantha, we wonder (d) at its motif and designs that point (e) to the artistic ingenuity and the presence of the maker (f) in it. The fact that we do not know her name or any other detail (g) about her does not take anything (h) away from our appreciation (i) for the artist. Indeed, the intimate nature (j) of the Kantha and the tactile feeling it generates animate the work and make it very inviting.
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."