Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word;
I’ll see you tomorrow at 11:00 _____ usual.
A) So
B) Same
C) Like
D) As

Answer 1

Hint: The options in the question are prepositions. Prepositions are certain words in English grammar that are used to indicate the position, location, time, special arrangement of an object and direction of movement. Preposition (when used before the object) and postposition (when used after the object) are together grouped under adpositions.

Complete answer:
In this sentence, we have a clause, that is, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow’, a blank to be filled with a preposition and the word ‘usual’ which is an adjective which actually refers to the verb of ‘seeing the next day’. Let us now compare the given preposition;

Now let us look into the given options:
Option A) So – The word ‘so’ is used as the phrase, “in order to”. For e.g. I went to her place, so I could talk to her in person. In the question the blank is not followed by such a phrase. Hence, this option is incorrect.
Option B) Same – This word is used to indicate likeness or two or more nouns. For e.g. I order the same meal every day. Here the meal of one day is similar to that of the previous day or the next day, that is why we used the word ‘same’. It cannot be used in the blank given in the question. Thus, this option is wrong.
Option C) Like – ‘like’ is used to make comparisons between things. For e.g. The flower is blue like the sky. But the main condition to use ‘like’ is that it should be followed by a noun (as in the e.g. the sky). The statement in the question does not have a noun after the blank and hence we cannot fill the blank with ‘like’. Thus, this option is incorrect.
Option D) As – ‘As’ is often confused with ‘like’ because it is also used for comparing. But while using ‘as’, it should be followed by a clause. For e.g. We went to the movies as we always do. Here, ‘we always do’ is a clause, because it has a subject ‘we’ and a verb ‘do’. In the question we do not have a direct clause, but we do have an indirect clause. The word ‘usual’ is a replacement for the entire clause ‘I always do’. We know this from the first clause in the question, ‘I’ll see you’. Therefore, as can be used before ‘usual’. Thus, this option is correct.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (D) I’ll see you tomorrow at 11:00 as usual.


Note: Another way of making comparisons using the word ‘as’ is to use with twice and sandwich a quality between the two ‘as’, i.e. AS + QUALITY + AS. For e.g. This movie is as good as its predecessor. This pattern is used only to compare qualities. The individual words ‘like’ and ‘as’ are used individually to compare ‘things to things’ and ‘actions to actions’.