In (the?) season x

[Peter A. McGraw]

A question for the list.

When referring to the seasons:

1) Do you use the article in the construction: "in (the)
spring/summer/fall/winter"?

2) Does your usage vary according to the season you are referring to (e.g.,
"in the spring" but "in winter," etc.)?  Or

3) Are "the" and 0 in free variation in this construction?

I'm talking just about the simple prepositional phrase, not about
extensions such as "in the spring of '96."

Thanks for any "imput."

Peter Mc.

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                               Peter A. McGraw
                   Linfield College   *   McMinnville, OR
                            pmcgraw at linfield.edu