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Idiom "whether"

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Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
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by bigguy_aug » Thu Nov 25, 2010 6:21 pm
If was going through sentence correction in OG and noticed that some choices are using "whether" but do not use "or" with it in the sentence.
My understanding is that if the sentence contains "whether", it should use "or". Is that ok to assume?

Can "whether" be correct by itself?

Thanks for the help.
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by Laura GMAT Tutor » Thu Nov 25, 2010 7:01 pm
It's a common misconception that "whether" has to go with "or not." It's true that only whether CAN go with "or not" but whether doesn't HAVE to go with or not.

The easier way to understand the difference between "if" and "whether" is this:

If they both sound ok, use whether.

Really! It always works!

"I don't know if he's going to the beach today."
"I don't know whether he's going to the beach today."
They both sound ok, right? So "whether" is right.

Compare that to:
"If it's sunny, I'll go to the beach today."
"Whether it's sunny, I'll go to the beach today."

Whew! In that case, clearly "whether" makes no sense! So say "if."

If that rule doesn't work for you, here's a more "official" definition:

Use if only in conditional statements. Use whether the rest of the time.

Hope that helps,
Laura
follow me on twitter! :)
@LauraGMATtutor

or visit my blog:
https://realusefulgmat.blocked/
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by bigguy_aug » Thu Nov 25, 2010 7:03 pm
Thanks Laura..for a great explanation!!

Happy Turkey day :)
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