【问】 (a) Father and son went to New York by a morning train. (Sinclair)

(b) The property had been handed down from father to son for many generations.(ALD)

father和son都是可数名词，为什么其前不加冠词?

【答】 按照语法规则，在可数的具体名词之前，是应当加冠词的。但是，为了使一个名词与另一个具有相反意义的名词保持平行，常常有省略冠词的倾向。例如：

1. husband and wife(CGEL)

丈夫和妻子

2. She's too young to know the difference between right and wrong. (Palmer)

她还太小，不能明辨是非。

3. The defendant does not know right from wrong. (FWF)

被告不能明辨是非。

4. I want to know about this thing now from beginning to end. (Dreiser)

现在我想了解这件事的始末。

5. I have read the book from beginning to end. (ALD)

我已把这本书从头读到尾。

6- Latitudes are the lines that go from east to west. (Mis)

纬度线是从东到西的线。