<p>When a question uses "whether" I am usually confused...</p>
<p>When "whether" is used, is "or not" implied? </p>
<p>What about the phrase "Whether if." Is that incorrect? Or is "if" implied? I really don't get it. </p>
<p>can someone (silverturtle pls) explain the general implications and rules regarding the word "whether"</p>
<p>The “or not” in “whether or not” is usually unnecessary and may, therefore, be omitted, as in:</p>
<p>“I do not know whether [or not] I should go.”</p>
<p>“Bob can’t decide whether [or not] to buy the jacket.”</p>
<p>When we are indicating two options, one of which is not the negation of the other, we must, obviously, write them both:</p>
<p>“Bob can’t decide whether to buy the jacket or the backpack.”</p>
<p>Now, consider the above sentence for a moment. Because we have established that “or not” may be omitted, the sentence could mean either of the following: one, that Bob isn’t sure whether or not he should buy either of the objects; or two, that Bob isn’t sure whether he should buy the jacket or the backpack. Therefore, in cases in which two or more items act as objects of “whether,” I recommend, in order to improve clarity, that “or not” be included if that is the intended meaning.</p>
<p>(Note that “if” may be used instead of “whether” in certain cases, though I prefer “whether.”)</p>
<p>If you have any more questions about general rules regarding “whether” or questions about specific uses of the word, just ask.</p>
<p>I thought of another situation in which one should include “or not”: when the phrase is used adverbially, that is, to modify a whole clause, as in:</p>
<p>“I’m going to eat this taco, whether you want me to or not!”</p>
<p>Whether the Sumerians were the first people to develop writing is uncertain, but theirs is the oldest known writing system.</p>
<p>^So in this question, “or not” is implied after “whether,” correct? “Whether or not the sumerians were X is uncertain, but theirs is the oldest known writing system.”</p>
<p>Also, can you provide some examples of “whether” being interchangeable with “if” ?</p>
<p>Thanks so much silverturtle. this thread reminds me of the old days, when you still hadn’t achieved your 2400 and were helping me with writing lol. I’m taking the october SAT, so I haven’t been making many threads (expect a lot of writing threads in august-october 
)</p>
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<p>Yep.</p>
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<p>This is also correct, though I prefer the more succinct alternative.</p>
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<p>If you listen carefully, you’ll probably hear at least fifty examples daily, as in:</p>
<p>“I don’t know if he should do that.”</p>
<p>“They tried to determine if the result was accurate.”</p>
<p>I make an attempt to avoid this when I write, as “whether” feels clearer to me (“if” tends to signal the conditional tense in my mind). It’s not wrong, however.</p>
<p>Thanks broski</p>