with a knife and a fork, with knife and fork, with a knife and fork

有人问到这样一道选择题:

(1)The Western people eat with _________and _____.

A. a knife, a fork B. knife, fork

C. knives, forks D. knifes, forks

所给答案是B,可不可以用A和C呢?

下面几种说法都对:

(2)They eat with a knife and a fork. (比较具体,可译作“刀子和叉子”)

(3)They eat with knife and fork. (比较抽象,强调方式或方法,可译作“刀叉”)

(4)They eat with a knife and fork. (表单数概念,可译作“一副刀叉”)

C之所以不妥,是因为主语they=they each(他们每一个人),不可能用“多个刀叉”吃饭。D更不妥,因为knife的复数形式不是knifes,而是knives。