A good boy is accustomed (a) ____ hard work. He is not addicted (b) ____ any bad thing. He is not averse (c) ____ any hard work. He clings (d) ____ his determination. Since he is used (e) ____ hard work, he is not doubtful (f) ___ his success. He is very much conscious (g)____ his duties. He is not boastful (h) ____ his talents. He behaves well (i) ____ all. He attends (j) ___ his studies.
A good boy is accustomed (a) to hard work. He is not addicted (b) to any bad thing. He is not averse (c) to any hard work. He clings (d) to his determination. Since he is used (e) to hard work, he is not doubtful (f) about his success. He is very much conscious (g) of his duties. He is not boastful (h) of his talents. He behaves well (i) with all. He attends (j) to his studies.
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."