Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[b7lake]

(1)They decided whether an individual case constituted a violation of human rights.
(2)They decided on whether an individual case constituted a violation of human rights.

Which sentence is correct?

Do both sentences have different meaning?

Thanks a lot for your help!

[pugachevV]

They decided whether...etc.
is correct.
You don't decide on something... You decide.
In law, it means you give a judgement concerning a matter or legal case.

[redset]

Well you can decide on a course of action, or decide on an entree in a restaurant - it basically means 'come to a decision'. As pugachevV says, decide (alone) here means that a case is being settled, the winning shot in a tennis game can decide a match, and an argument can be decided by looking up the facts.

So decide means that an outcome is reached, final judgements are made and things are settled, somebody wins or a dispute is ended.

To decide on something means that a decision is made, usually from a list of options or choices.

Sometimes there is a difference (you can decide on a game by choosing a game to play, then you can decide the game by winning it) but your sentences essentially mean the same thing. (1) means that they made a judgement whether it was true or not, (2) means that they made a decision on the subject.