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    From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/1 to All on Mon Jul 28 21:50:56 2025


    Hi, All!

    In the translation of Jules Verne's "The Voyages and Adventures of Captain Hatteras" (project Gutenberg) there are these "table" sentences:

    -----Beginning of the citation-----
    Hatteras unfolded on the table one of the excellent charts published
    in 1859 by the order of the Admiralty.

    ..."Here is the chart of the Polar Seas," resumed the doctor, who had
    brought it to the table;


    ... Johnson and Bell had a good supper awaiting them.
    But before they sat down to table, the doctor said in a voice of
    triumph, as he pointed to his two companions,--
    ----- The end of the citation -----

    Can you say a formal excuse why "table" in the last sentence is used without any article?

    Bye, All!
    Alexander Koryagin

    ---
    * Origin: f1.n221.z2.fidonet.fi (2:221/1.0)
  • From Mortar M.@1:124/5016 to Alexander Koryagin on Mon Jul 28 14:26:10 2025
    Re: No article
    By: Alexander Koryagin to All on Mon Jul 28 2025 21:50:56

    But before they sat down to table, the doctor said in a voice of

    1) You don't start a sentence with words like "but" and "and".
    2) It would be more appropriate to say, "But before they sat down to eat," or
    just, "But before they sat down,", implying that they were sitting down to
    dinner.
    --- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
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  • From Gleb Hlebov@2:5023/24.4222 to All on Mon Aug 4 10:41:38 2025
    Hi Mortar,

    28.07.2025 18:26:10, Mortar M. wrote:

    But before they sat down to table, the doctor said in a voice of
    1) You don't start a sentence with words like "but" and "and".

    But why shouldn't I? And could it be you made up this "rule" yourself
    just now? :-)

    2) It would be more appropriate to say, "But before they sat down
    to eat," or just, "But before they sat down,", implying that
    they were sitting down to dinner.

    I can see an excuse to say "to sit down to table", the same way you
    would say "I'm back in town" or "He's back from school". Although some
    weird cases of not putting an article where it apparently should be do
    happen, like in the following sentence (it's from a police report):

    "...Robert Nastek was heading north on Olney Laytonsville
    Road when he saw Kevin Costlow beating on the hood of car
    occupied by Asian females".

    Shouldn't it be "beating on the hood of -a- car"?


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