MSGID: 2:221/1.0 68f3c65a   
   REPLY: 2:221/1.0 6887c68a   
   PID: JamNNTPd/Linux32/IPv6 ubi386 20251012   
   NOTE: Sylpheed 3.7.0 (GTK+ 2.24.30; i686-pc-mingw32)   
   CHRS: CP437 2   
   TZUTC: 0300   
   Alexander Koryagin:   
      
   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?   
      
   This usage needs no excuse, being perfectly correct.  Here a   
   combination of a preposition and a noun in the objective case   
   acts as a unified proposition, cf. /on top of/, /in place of/,   
   &c.  Observe also the title of a Dunany short story, /Thirteen   
   at table/, where /at table/ is singe united proposition.   
      
   ---   
    * Origin: news://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/1.0)   
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