Whether and If – Whether…or

Whether and If – Whether…or. Worksheets on Vocabulary. Vocabulary Worksheets for ESL. Free eBook and Free printable PDF.

Whether and If – Whether…or

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Whether and If – Whether…or

Whether and if are often interchangeable, but sometimes only one of them is correct.

If is used to introduce a condition.

If it does not rain tomorrow, we will go to the beach.

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Whether and if are interchangeable when used to report a yes/no question.

I am not sure whether/if the train has already arrived. (Has the train arrived? – yes/no)

We wonder whether/if it will rain tomorrow. (Will it rain tomorrow? – yes/no)

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.

Let me know whether the printer still jams. ( = no matter whether the printer jams or not, you should let me know)

Let me know if the printer still jams. ( = in case the printer jams, let me know about it; if the printer does not jam, do not let me know about it)

Use whether when the clause beginning with whether is the subject of the sentence.

Whether we win is irrelevant.

Exercises

EXERCISE 1.

Insert either whether or if  in the spaces below. In some case, either can be used.

1. Have you thought about…………………you’ll come to the wedding ?
2. I don’t know…………………I’ll still be working here this time next year.
3. He’s wondering…………………to go to Australia or England to study.
4. He asked me…………………I would be visiting him over the summer.
5. I’ve been thinking about…………………I should join the army.

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EXERCISE 2.

Rewrite the following sentences using whether…..or.

e.g. I don’t care if your friends are going to the pub, you aren’t allowed.

Whether your friends are going to the pub or not, you can’t.

1. You may be the best footballer in the school, but you’ll never play for England.
2. I have decided to move to America even if I can’t get a job there.
3. People say that using a sun bed to get a tan is dangerous, but I do it anyway.
4. Even if you aren’t interested in art, you have to admit that Van Gough was a genius.
5. I believe that all people go to heaven when they die.
6.              Being religious isn’t important.

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