0
English 1b3 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Absence of article

Here is a sentence taken from 'Water for Elephants' by Sara Gruen:

August steps forward and shoves the door inward. It crashes against the wall behind it, revealing a makeshift room lit by kerosene lamp.

Why is there no article (namely, a) before kerosene lamp?

Thanks
  

Top answer

It's like "lit by sunlight" or "lit by firelight" or "fueled by coal". There probably was a single kerosene lamp in the room, but Gruen didn't care about the lamp or how many there might have been, she cared about the quality of the light.

— Enoon

  • It's like "lit by sunlight" or "lit by firelight" or "fueled by coal".
  • There probably was a single kerosene lamp in the room, but Gruen didn't care about the lamp or how many there might have been, she cared about the quality of the light.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

2 Answers
0
It's like "lit by sunlight" or "lit by firelight" or "fueled by coal". There probably was a single kerosene lamp in the room, but Gruen didn't care about the lamp or how many there might have been, she cared about the quality of the light.
0
0
enoonIt's like "lit by sunlight" or "lit by firelight" or "fueled by coal". There probably was a single kerosene lamp in the room, but Gruen didn't care about the lamp or how many there might have been, she cared about the quality of the light.
Ah, yes, after reading the sentence again, I can see exactly what you mean. I just didn't make the same association a
0

Related Questions