2020-10-14
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด I - If – whether
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ที่ถือว่า ถูกต้อง ในที่นี้ เป็นไป ตามมาตรฐาน ของภาษา
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ไม่กำหนดมาตฐาน ถือตามส่วนใหญ่ที่ใช้แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจยืดหยุ่น ขึ้นอยู่กับ ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง If = ‘IF’
ออกเสียง Whether = ‘HWETH-ter’ or ‘WETH-er’
Dictionary.com
SYNONYM STUDY FOR IF
If – Provided - Providing
imply a condition on which something depends.
If is general. It may be used to indicatesuppositions or hypothetical conditions
(often involving doubt or uncertainty):
If you like, we can go straight home.
If I had known, I wouldn't have gone.
If may mean even though:
If I am wrong, you are not right.
It may mean whenever:
If I do not understand, I ask questions.
Provided always indicates somestipulation:
I will subscribe ten dollars provided (on the condition) that you do, too.
Provided he goes, we can go along.
Providing means the same as provided,
that is, just in case some certain thing should happen:
We will buy the house, providing (provided) we can get a mortgage.
USAGE NOTE FOR IF
If meaning “whether,”
as in I haven't decided if I'll go, is sometimes criticized,
but the usage is long established as standard.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,
Usage Note:
Many conditional (if ... then) constructions seembewilderingly picky
about which tenses, moods, and auxiliaries may go into them,
particularly those that have to do with a counterfactual
or make-believe world
—one that the writer thinks is likely to be false
but whose implications are worth exploring.
But the grammatical requirements for such counterfactual sentences
are quite straightforward:
- 1. The if-clause must have averb in the conditional subjunctive mood
(which many linguists call by the Latin name irrealis to distinguish it from the ordinary English subjunctive).
When referring to situations in the present, this mood is identical tothe preterite
orpast-tense form (If you danced better ... )
except for the verb be, whose irrealis is were rather than was (If he were rich ...).
When a writer wants to refer to a situation that hypothetically could have occurred in the past, a more remote past form must be used
—the past perfect or the pluperfect (If you had danced better ...; If he had been rich ...).
- 2. The then-clause must contain would ora similar modal auxiliary
such as could, should, or might. A large percentage of the Usage Panel disapproves of past counterfactual constructions using did rather than had: in 2011, 74 percent disliked If I didn't have my seatbelt on, I'd be dead, and 89 percent found it unacceptable to say If he didn't come to America, our team never would have won the championship. Forms using would have are somewhat more acceptable: the sentence If she would have only listened to me, this never would have happened was acceptable to 33 percent of the Panel in 2016. When the situation described by an if clause is not presupposed to be false, that clause must contain an indicative verb: If Kevin was out sick yesterday, he will probably work late today. Note also that the presence of the modal verb would in the main clause should not be taken as a sign that the verb in the if clause must be in the subjunctive, if the content of that clause is not presupposed to be false: He would always call the office if he was (not were) going to be late for work. · According to the traditional rule, the subjunctive is not used following verbs such as ask or wonder in if clauses that express indirect questions, even if the content of the question is presumed to be contrary to fact: We wondered if dinner was (not were) included in the room price. · With all deference to the traditional rules, it should be noted that a survey of the prose of reputable writers over the past 200 years would reveal a persistent tendency to use the indicative was where the traditional rule would requirethe subjunctive were. A sentence beginning If I was the only boy in the world, while not strictly correct, is wholly unremarkable. In informal writing both if and whether are standard in their use to introduce a clause indicating uncertaintyafter a verb such as ask, doubt, know, learn, or see: We shall soon learn whether (or if) it is true. In such contexts, however, the use of if can sometimes create ambiguities. Depending on the intended meaning, the sentence Let her know if she is invited might be better paraphrased as Let her know whether she is invited or If she is invited, let her know. When used as a coordinator, the phrase if not always signals a contrast, but it can have almost contradictory meanings, depending on the context. Sometimes it can mean "but not," as in She won her team's admiration, if not its award, for her performance in the playoffs and The board was encouraged, if not convinced, by the budgetary projections. At other times, especially when there is a comparison of two adjectives or noun phrases in which the second represents a significant increase in degree above the first, if not usually means "and even," as in This job will be difficult, if not impossible and The law practice includes clients from all over the state, if not the country. Since many sentences of this kind can be interpreted one way or the other, it is important that the context make clear what sort of contrast is being indicated by if not. See Usage Notesat doubt, should, wish.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary
usage:
if meaning “whether,” as in I haven't decided if I'll go, is sometimes criticized, but the usage has been standard in English for a long time and is found in Shakespeare, Dryden, and the King James Bible.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
if
1. possible situations
You use if to introduce a conditional clause in which you mention a possible situation.
If you get tired, have a rest.
If the machine stops working, call this number.
You can use if to mention a situation that might exist in the future.
In the conditional clause, you use the present simple form.
Don't use a future form.
If all goes well, we will arrive by lunchtime.
If you make a mistake, you will have to start again.
You sometimes use if in a conditional clauseto suggest that someone does something. You usually use the present simple in the conditional clause.
If you turn to page 15, you will see a list of questions.
You can use if to mention a situation that sometimes existed in the past.
You usually use the past simple in the conditional clause.
They ate outside if it was sunny.
If we had enough money, we used to go to the cinema.
You can also use if to mention something that might have happened in the past,
but did not in fact happen.
In the conditional clause, you use the past perfect. Don't use the past simple.
If he had known the truth, he would have run away.
If they had not met, this book would never have been written.
2. unlikely situations
You also use if in conditional clauses to mention situations that do not exist,
or events that are unlikely to happen.
In the conditional clause, you use the past simple. Don'tuse a present tense.
They would find it difficult to get a job if they left the farm.
If she wanted to, she could be a dancer.
In formal writing, when the subject of the conditional clause is I, he, she, it, there, or a singular noun, you use were in the clause instead of 'was'.
If a problem were to arise, she would be able to resolve it.
Employees would be more productive if better resources were provided.
In conversation or informal writing people usually use was (except in the expression If I were you).
If I was a painter, I'd paint this garden.
We would prefer it if the test was a bit easier.
Sometimes was is used in formal writing too, but this is considered incorrect by many people.
3. in reported questions
If is also used in reported questions.
I asked her if I could help her.
I wonder if you understand what I mean.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree
whether
used to introduce the first of two or more alternative conditions: I haven’t decided whether to go or stay.
Not to be confused with:
weather – meteorological conditions: temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation; face or endure: I can weather the storm.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
Weather– whether
1. 'weather'
If you are talking about the weather, you are saying,
for example, that it is raining, cloudy, sunny, hot, or cold.
The weather was good for the time of year.
The trip was cancelled because of bad weather conditions.
Be Careful!
Weather is an uncountable noun.
Don't use 'a' with it.
Don't say, for example, 'We are expecting a bad weather'.
Say 'We are expecting bad weather'.
They completed the climb despite appalling weather.
The wedding took place in perfect May weather.
Don't tell someone what the weather is like by saying,
for example, 'It's lovely weather'.
Say 'The weather is lovely'.
The weather was awful. It hardly ever stopped raining.
2. 'whether'
Do not confuse weather with whether.
You use whether when you are talking abouttwo or more alternatives.
I don't know whether to go out or stay at home.
She asked whether I wanted more coffee.
whether
Whether is used in reported clauses and conditional clauses.
1. used in reported clauses
You can use a clause beginning with whether after a reporting verb
such as know, ask, or wonder.
You use whether when you are mentioning two or more alternatives.
You put whether in front of the first alternative, and or in front of the second one.
I don't know whether he's in or out.
I was asked whether I wanted to stay at a hotel or at his home.
When the two alternatives are opposites,
you don't need to mention both of them.
For example, instead of saying 'I don't know whether he's in or out',
you can simply say 'I don't know whether he's in'.
Lucy wondered whether Rita had been happy.
I asked Professor Gupta whether he agreed.
2. 'whether...or not'
You can also mention the second alternative using or not.
You put or not either at the end of the sentence or immediately after whether.
I didn't know whether to believe him or not.
She didn't ask whether or not we wanted to come.
3. 'if'
If can be used instead of 'whether', especiallywhen the second alternative is not mentioned.
I asked her if I could help her
I rang up to see if I could get seats.
4. reporting uncertainty
If someone is uncertain about doing a particular thing, oruncertain how to respond to a situation, you can report this using a clause consisting of whether and a to-infinitive.
I've been wondering whether to look for another job.
He didn't know whether to feel glad or sorry that she was leaving.
5. used in conditional clauses
You can add a clause containing whether and or not to a sentence
to indicate that something is true in any of the circumstances you mention.
He's going to buy a house whether he gets married or not.
6. 'weather'
Do not confuse whether with weather, which is pronounced the same way.
If you say that it is raining, windy, hot, or cold, you are talking about the weather.
The wet weather lasted all weekend.
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expression
If – whether
In formal use, if introduces one condition only;
whether introduced, alternate conditions, usually with or not expressed or implied:
“If we try hard, we can do the work.”
“We are wondering whether we could do the work.”
In less precise use, both if and whetherare used to introduce clauses of various kinds, but if is not used when it causes doubt about meaning;
for example, the sentence “The physician asked to be telephoned if the patient was in a coma” could mean at what timeor whether the patient was in a coma.
Also, prefer whether
in a sentence such as “If I was going to the bill was the question raised by the letter.”
Common Errors in English Usage Dictionary
“If” is used frequently in casual speech and writing
where some others would prefer “whether”:
“I wonder if you would be willing to dress up as a giant turnip for the parade?”
Revise to “I wonder whether. . . .”
“If" can’t really be called an error,
but when you are discussing two alternativepossibilities,
“whether” sounds more polished.
(The two possibilities in this example are:
1) you would be willing or
2) you wouldn’t.
In sentences using “whether” “or not” is often understood.)
Don’t substitute the very different word “whither,” which means “where.”
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
GRAMMAR POINT
if / whether
Both if and whether are used in reporting questions
which expect 'yes' or 'no' as the answer:
She asked if /whether I wanted a drink.,
although whether sounds more natural with particular verbs
such as discuss, consider and decide.
When a choice is offered between alternatives if or whether can be used:
He didn't know if /whether we should write or phone.
In this last type of sentence, whether is usually considered more formal and more suitable for written English.
