whether vs IF Use “if” to express a condition. CORRECT: Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. WRONG: I don’t know if he’s ready for my New York game. Use “whether” to express alternatives. CORRECT: Many of the assembled are questioning whether he is conservative enough. CORRECT: Their six-month truce comes to an end today, and neither is sure whether to renew it. WRONG: The officer told the investigator he was not sure if he fired his weapon. Use either “if” or “whether” with: 1) Indirect questions. No one knows for sure whether/if Iran has the rest of the components needed for a bomb. He’s not sure whether/if he’s scored enough points with Santa to be getting one of those in his stocking. 2) Yes / No questions. He wasn’t even sure if/whether he did any good. She could not remember if/whether he brought his coat. Clearly, it is not simply a matter of knowing the rules or more people would get it right. So, let’s get geeky and try to tattoo this on the grammar sections of our brains. Be advised! We are heading into grammar term territory. 1) After a preposition, use “whether.” If you don’t know what a preposition is, hop over here and have yourself a bit of study. If you have a general sense of the little buggers, then you are ready to follow the rule: preposition + choice of “if” or “whether” = “whether” CORRECT: For actions on a site that might be considered private, shouldn’t users have the choice about whether to make them public? CORRECT: The test for whether such internal loans make economic sense is exactly the same as the test for external loans. WRONG: “Batman is Batman, regardless of if Bush is in the White House or not,” he said. 2) Before infinitives, use “whether.” Same first step, if you don’t know what infinitives are, study on them here. CORRECT: The clinic workers, who have been detained for two months while authorities decide whether to charge them, deny that they did anything wrong. But don’t be misled into using “whether” rather than “if” preceding an infinitive if the “if” is part of the conjunction “as if.” EXAMPLE: As if to ward off the mayhem outside, the soldiers have held to some military rituals. You would have gotten that on your own, right? Really, how incoherent would the sentence be? “As whether to ward off the mayhem outside, the soldiers have held to some military rituals.” 3) When the sentence contains a two-part option with “or,” use “whether.” CORRECT: The captain said he could not remember whether they had asked for the money or demanded it. CORRECT: They were asked whether they had modified their views as a result of their visit to the Soviet Union WRONG: It’s not clear if they simply failed to consider the privacy implications or thought about it and decided it didn’t matter. 4). If the “alternatives” lead the sentence, use “whether.” In other words, if instead of being connected by “or” the two-part option begins the sentence, you still use “whether.” CORRECT: Whether they spoke for Progressive or reactionary candidates, they took the view that the incumbent was out of it. WRONG: Asked if the rabbit in cream sauce could be split in half or must the kept whole, the waiter shrugged. 5) When the clause containing the “option” is a subject or a predicate nominative, it’s best to use “whether.” (”If” is acceptable in some circumstances but not preferred so why risk it?) CORRECT: Henry is certainly a capable chef, but whether he can master the intricacies of Vietnamese soup is another question. (”Whether” is the subject of the verb “is.”) CORRECT: The question is whether I buy a TV or something more important.” (”[W]hether I buy a TV” is the question and the question is “whether I buy a TV.” They are connected by a linking verb, making the “whether” clause a complement/predicate nominative. Do I need to tell you again to go the website if you don’t know the parts of a sentence? WRONG: The question is if the lingering bitterness from the port deal is going to outweigh the stretched hand of needy institutions.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 05:40:39 +0000
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