Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
It’s July and the weather’s awful! It’s ____ in winter!
a) likes
b) as like
c) like
d) as

Answer 1

Hint: Sift through the given options to find the one that fits perfectly. It should be complete without any additional words. There is only one option that can work without an additional word.

Complete answer:
A preposition is a word used to link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a sentence. They act to connect the people, objects, time, and locations of a sentence. Prepositions are usually short words, and they are normally placed directly in front of nouns.
In the given sentence, the blank is before another preposition, which, in turn, is before a noun. So, we need a preposition.
Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options:
a) likes - The word ‘likes’ has a suffix at the end of the root word. This makes this word a verb. The word is not a preposition. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) as like - The phrase ‘as like’ is grammatically incorrect as it is redundant, because both the words have the same meaning. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
c) like - The word ‘like’ is a preposition. As a preposition, it means ‘having the same characteristics or qualities as’. This word fits perfectly into the given sentence. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
d) as - The word ‘as’ has the same meaning as the word ‘like’. However, one cannot use it in the same place as ‘like’ every time. This does not fit into the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
The confusion in using ‘like’ or ‘as’ is caused by a lack of understanding of the words' roles. Understand the parts of speech mentioned in the given sentence, and choose the correct option accordingly.