[Grammar] on Friday or (just) Friday

[i'mmariko]

Which is correct? And, what is the difference between the two sentences.

1) My cat went missing Friday.
2) My cat went missing on Friday.

Thanks for your help.

Mariko

[curmudgeon]

1) Is American English, they like to take shortcuts
2) Is proper English, also you could say 'My cat went missing last Friday'

[Gillnetter]

Originally Posted by i'mmariko

Which is correct? And, what is the difference between the two sentences.

1) My cat went missing Friday.
2) My cat went missing on Friday.

Thanks for your help.

Mariko

How does a cat go missing? I can understand that a cat can go to Paris, but where is "missing" located? This is a trendy phrase and usually is not thought of very well.

[i'mmariko]

Thank you for your comment,Gillnetter

I found the phrase, "My cat went missing Friday." in today's San Francisco Chronicle.

Mariko

[Linguist__]

I've never heard of it. To me, it sounds like you are telling a person called Friday that your cat went missing.

I could understand it in speech, but it seems strange if it was in an article. Unless it was a quote.

[i'mmariko]

Originally Posted by Linguist__

I've never heard of it. To me, it sounds like you are telling a person called Friday that your cat went missing.

I could understand it in speech, but it seems strange if it was in an article. Unless it was a quote.

It's a photo a caption. It says, "D.H. is looking for his cat, Samantha, shown last month. His leash-trained companion went missing Friday."

[Barb_D]

Maybe this is regional, but "went missing" is very normal to my ear and to my speech. I wouldn't write it in a business report ($20 million has gone missing) but it's a common substitution for "disappeared."

[Gillnetter]

Originally Posted by i'mmariko

It's a photo a caption. It says, "D.H. is looking for his cat, Samantha, shown last month. His leash-trained companion went missing Friday."

The term is used but that doesn't mean that it is correct. I put it in the same catagory as, "I graduated college last year", while the correct text should be, "I graduated from college last year". Actually, I have only heard "went missing" on the radio or on television. I have read it in popular magazines and in newspapers. I have yet to hear this term in a discussion with a person.

[curmudgeon]

In the UK this is acceptable form and is used frequently

see here


Ask the English Teacher: Went missing

[Paperino]

I am not a teacher.

I believe "My cat went missing ON Friday" is correct.
You may reference Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) by searching "Prepositions for Time, Place, and Introducing Objects." Sorry, at this time I am not able to provide a link.

As for the "went missing" part of your sentence, I find it too colloquial (too much like slang). However, as Curmudgeon pointed out, it is more common and accepted in Britain, and it is often used in the American press.

You might try "My cat ran off (away) on Friday," "My cat was missing on Friday," or "My cat has been missing since Friday."