To sum up, use “whether” when you have two discrete choices or mean “regardless of whether,” and use “if” for conditional sentences.
Contents
How do you use whether in a sentence?
Whether sentence example
- Whether we want to admit it or not, we all wish everyone would like us.
- He needs you right now, whether he knows it or not.
- I really don’t know whether to finish him or not.
- I was unsure whether my husband would actually come with me.
- Whether or not you take my deal, I’ll help her.
How do we use whether or?
We prefer whether with or when there is more than one alternative in the indirect question: After the election, we asked whether the parties should change their leaders, their policies, or both. To express an alternative, we can use or not with if and whether.
How do you use whether in a question?
Use whether, but not if, immediately before ‘or not’: The question is whether or not the government has the right to interfere. Whether is generally preferred when ‘or’ appears later in the sentence, but you can also use if: It is not clear whether/if the information was stolen or deliberately leaked to the press.
Is whether it be grammatically correct?
Although it may sound foreign to the ear, the phrase “whether it be” is grammatically correct. It often describes conditional or imaginary situations, which is why it can be confusing, especially to an English second language speaker. The correct use of the phrase “whether it be” would be in a formal context.
What is whether in English grammar?
1. ( subordinating) used to introduce an indirect question or a clause after a verb expressing or implying doubt or choice in order to indicate two or more alternatives, the second or last of which is introduced by or or or whether. he doesn’t know whether she’s in Britain or whether she’s gone to France.
Is whether the same as if?
If and whether are often interchangeable, but have distinct uses. For clarity, it is best to use whether in reference to a choice or alternatives (“we’re going whether it rains or not”) and if when establishing a condition (“we will go if it doesn’t rain”).
Is it formal or whether?
Whether and if are interchangeable when used to report a yes/no question. In formal writing we always use whether in cases like (3) and (4). In some cases, however, whether and if are not equivalent. Use whether to present two alternatives.
How do you ask whether?
We use both ‘if‘ and ‘whether’ in indirect questions, so you could say, ‘I don’t know if she’s coming’, or, ‘I don’t know whether she’s coming’. But in some circumstances we can only use ‘whether’. For example, before infinitives with ‘to’, we only use ‘whether’.
What is a synonym for whether?
In this page you can discover 18 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for whether, like: either, if, even-if, in-case, if it follows that, doubt, so-long-as, whatever, as-long-as, because and wherever.
Can you start sentence with whether?
Remember as well that, as a conjunction, “whether or not” needs to come at the end of the first clause in a sentence. Alternately, you can begin the sentence with “whether or not” and then add the rest of the sentence after the verb phrase.Whether or not [verb phrase], [main clause].
Is whether a question word?
An interrogative word or question word is a function word used to ask a question, such as what, which, when, where, who, whom, whose, why, whether and how. They are sometimes called wh-words, because in English most of them start with wh- (compare Five Ws).
Does whether get a question mark?
“Whether” is used when referring to a question indirectly. In informal speech, it can be often replaced with “if”. The following are all correct ways to use the word “whether”: I asked him whether he wanted an apple.
What is indirect question in English?
An indirect question is a question embedded inside a statement (i.e., a declarative sentence) or another question (i.e., an interrogative sentence).
How do you replace Whether in a sentence?
The formal rule is to use “if” when you have a conditional sentence and “whether” when you are showing that two alternatives are possible.
What is a antonym for whether?
albeit. however. for all that. despite the fact that. in spite of the fact that.