Subj : No article
To   : Anton Shepelev
From : Alexander Koryagin
Date : Mon Oct 20 2025 16:07:10


Hi, Anton Shepelev!
I read your message from 18.10.2025 19:54

 AK>> Johnson and Bell had a good supper awaiting them. But
 AK>> before they sat down to table, the doctor said in a
 AK>> voice of triumph, as he pointed to his two
 AK>> companions,-- ----- The end of the citation -----
 AK>>
 AK>> Can you say a formal excuse why "table" in the last sentence
 AK>> is used without any article?

 AS> This usage needs no excuse, being perfectly correct. Here a
 AS> combination of a preposition and a noun in the objective case
 AS> acts as a unified proposition, cf. /on top of/, /in place of/,
 AS> ??&c. Observe also the title of a Dunany short story,
 AS> /Thirteen at table/, where /at table/ is singe united
 AS> proposition.

Did you read somewhere about "unified prepositions" (URL please) or it is your idea?
Maybe it will be interesting for you what native speakers tell about the subj in other places.

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/at-table-at-the-table.3982769/

Bye, Anton!
Alexander Koryagin
english_tutor 2025

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 * Origin: news://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/1.0)

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