Hi, everyone, as a complement to this topic...
If Versus Whether Although in informal writing and speech the two words are often used interchangeably, in formal writing, such as in technical writing at work, it's a good idea to make a distinction between them because the meaning can sometimes be different depending on which word you use. The formal rule is to use if when you have a conditional sentence and whether when you are showing that two alternatives are possible. Some examples will make this more clear. WHEN IF/WHETHER ARE INTERCHANGEABLE: John didn't know whether Bob would arrive on Friday. Johns didn't know if Bob would arrive on Friday. In either sentence, the meaning is that Bob may or may not arrive on Friday. WHEN IF/WHETHER ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE: John didn't know whether Bob would arrive on Friday or Saturday. Because I used whether, you know that there are two possibilities: Bob will arrive on Friday or Bob will arrive on Saturday. Now see how the sentence has a different meaning when I use if instead of whether: John didn't know if Bob would arrive on Friday or Saturday. Now in addition to arriving on Friday or Saturday, there is the possibility that Bob may not arrive at all. These last two sentences show why it is best to use whether when you have two possibilities, and that is why I recommend using whether instead of if when you have two possibilities, even when the meaning wouldn't change if you use if. It's safer and more consistent. Here's a final pair of examples: Call John if you are going to arrive on Friday. Call John whether or not you are going to arrive on Friday. The first sentence is conditional. Call John if you are going to arrive on Friday means Bob is only expected to call if he is coming. The second sentence is not conditional. Call John whether or not you are going to arrive on Friday means Bob is expected to call either way. So to sum up, use whether when you have two discrete choices or mean "regardless of whether," and use if for conditional sentences. Whether Versus Whether or Not That last example is also a good lead in to the second part of the caller's question: when do you need an or not after whether? Why did I say, "Call John whether or not you are going to arrive on Friday"? Often, the or not is just extra fluff and should be left off. In my first example, where I said, "John didn't know whether Bob would arrive on Friday," adding an or not wouldn't change the meaning or emphasis. John didn't know whether or not Bob would arrive on Friday means the same thing as John didn't know whether Bob would arrive on Friday. Or not is superfluous, so leave it out. On the other hand, you need the full phrase whether or not when you mean "regardless of whether." It shows that there is equal emphasis on both options. Call John regardless of whether you are going to arrive on Friday. Call John whether or not you are going to arrive on Friday. Finally, a listener wrote to say that her boss was driving her crazy by saying "rather or not" instead of "whether or not." So I'll add that "rather or not" is incorrect; whether is a conjunction and rather is an adverb, and they are not interchangeable. "Whether or not" is the correct way to show that there are two possibilities or you mean "regardless of whether." References Bernstein, T.M. Do's Don'ts and Maybes of English Usage, Times Books: New York. 1977, p.237. Garner, B. Garner's Modern American Usage, Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2003, p. 422. if. American Heritage College Dictionary. Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company:Boston. 2007, p. 689. rather. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rather (accessed: May 23, 2008). Kilian, C. "Rather? Whether?" Ask the English Teacher. May 26, 2006. http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/english/2006/05/rather_whether.html (accessed: May 23, 2008). whether. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/whether (accessed: May 23, 2008). On Dec 30, 4:37 am, "anurag barthwal" <[email protected]> wrote: > Whether and If > > 1. When both choices are given, we generally use *whether* rather than *if*: > > - I don't know *whether* she's coming or not. (It would be possible to > use *if* here, but less common.) > > 2. Before an infinitive with *to* we use *whether*: > > - I don't know *whether* to accept their offer or not. (*If* would not be > used here.) > > 3. We can use *whether* after a preposition: > > - It's a question of *whether* we can agree on everything. (*If* would > not be used here.) > > 4. Both *whether* and *if* can be used in indirect speech to introduce a > yes/no > question: > > - Did they say *whether/if* they were going to be late? > > 5. After some verbs, we use *whether*: > > - I doubt *whether* they'll make it. > > We discussed *whether* it was the correct decision. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "English Learner's Cafe" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/english_learners?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
