Korean Job Discussion Forums

[raewon]

I have a question regarding "if/whether". Could someone please let me know which word is gramatically correct to complete each of the following three sentences, or if both can be used or not.
Thanks a lot.


1. The main idea is _________ he will side with them or not.

2. _______ they will talk to us is not known.

3. _______ she is pretty or not doesn't matter.

[faeriehazel]

A good rule of thumb for formal speech is to use "if" for conditionals and "whether" for when there are two possible choices. In casual speech the two are often interchangeable.

Worth reading: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1535_questionanswer/page33.shtml

[raewon]

Thank you for your reply.

Actually, I came across that rule of thumb also - Grammar Girl has it on her site.

The link you provided (thanks!) gives the following:

[young_clinton]

They're both correct but they have slightly different meanings, although they could both be used to express the same idea.

[faeriehazel]

I would say that for your examples I would encourage the students to use "whether" since all the sentences are talking about two possibilities. "If" is grammatically acceptably, but "whether" sounds more polished (IMHO).