The vast number (a) _____ plant species underwater forms a beautiful ecosystem. The plants which stay underwater depend (b) _____ the light coming (c) _____ the sun (d) _____ their growth. They also draw the atmospheric carbon dioxide (e) _____ the air above and convert them (f) _____ oxygen. The flora (g) _____ the surface (h) _____ the water adds (i) _____ the aesthetic beauty. These plants sometimes span vast lengths below the surface (j) _____ the ocean.
(a) of (b) on (c) from (d) for (e) from (f) into (g) under/below (h) of (i) to (j) of
The vast number (a) of plant species underwater forms a beautiful ecosystem. The plants which stay underwater depend (b) on the light coming (c) from the sun (d) for their growth. They also draw the atmospheric carbon dioxide (e) from the air above and convert them (f) into oxygen. The flora (g) under/below the surface (h) of the water adds (i) to the aesthetic beauty. These plants sometimes span vast lengths below the surface (j) of the ocean.
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."