I recently received the following message on my Facebook page:
Saw this posted in a board game group: “My game arrived with a missing token.”
Someone responds, “don’t you mean without.” “Without a missing token”???
How would you tackle this sentence structure?
I don’t really have much of an issue with the original construction. It’s a bit awkward, sure. I mean, with implies that something was there alongside the game. So it’s a bit weird to say “with a missing token” because a missing token is, well, missing; it‘s not there.
But, I think the proposed correction is worse.
If “with a missing token” means that there was no token, then “without a missing token” would mean the token was there. It’s a double negative, although probably not the type we’re used to seeing.
If it were me, I’d probably word it something like, “My game arrived missing a token.” or “My game arrived without a token.” That clears up the ambiguity and reduces the risk of misunderstanding.
Do you have a sentence that looks odd to you? Let me know in the comments below.
