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Whether vs if - Experts please help

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Whether vs if - Experts please help

by rahulvsd » Thu Oct 13, 2011 9:44 am
Hi

I have a doubt in the usage of "if" and "whether". Please correct/strengthen my understanding.

IF -> used when describing a conditional statement.

Whether -> used when choosing between two alternatives.

Any other cases where If and Whether are used ? Experts please advice.
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by essaysnark » Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:05 pm
rahulvsd, it sounds like you've actually got a good handle on it!

Sometimes "whether" is a substitute for "if" - consider this:

"We don't know whether he's going."

You could easily say:

"We don't know if he's going."

Yes, "whether" is typically expressing two alternatives - "whether or not" is common usage, but in many cases someone could say "if" instead of that phrase. (It is confusing, isn't it??)

Here's the one instance where it's different - when "whether or not" is used to express an ABSOLUTE:

"We are going whether or not it rains."

In this case, it means that no matter what - regardless of if one case happens or the other case happens - we are definitely going.

Not sure if this is helping you, but it is so interesting to try and explain these oddities of the English language!!

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