台北新竹英文家教

區別 [ whether, if ] 與其用法

[ whether ]是連接詞，有二個意思是[是否]與[不管]。在這裡，我們是使用[是否]的意思。[ if ]除了有[假如]的意思外，也有[是否]的意思。[ whether and if ]兩個都是[是否]，但它們在用法上有些差別，依序詳述如下。

一、[ whether ]與[ if ]可相互代替使用。

1.  Myra was not sure whether Tony could come to see her.

     = Myra was not sure if Tony could come to see her.

2.  We have no idea whether tomorrow will be a fine day.

     = We have no idea if tomorrow will be a fine day.

3.  My mom asked me whether I could finish my homework before 10:00 pm.

     = My mom asked me if I could finish my homework before 10:00 pm.

4.  I wondered whether I could go on vacation with my mom.

     = I wondered if I could go on vacation with my mom.

5.  Our music teacher doubted whether Warren was interested in music.

     = Our music teacher doubted if Warren was interested in music.

二、若沒有用[ or not ]，只用[ or ]，在[ or ]前面[ whether ]或[ if ]都可以使用。

1.  Howard was quite sure whether he wanted to go to college or find a job first.

     = Howard was quite sure if he wanted to go to college or find a job first.

2.  My cousin doesn’t want to tell me whether he will go to Taichung this week or fly to Kaohsiung next week.

     = My cousin doesn’t want to tell me if he will go to Taichung this week or fly to Kaohsiung next week.

3.  Angela’s parents are not quite certain whether she will marry Karl or go abroad to study.

= Angela’s parents are not quite certain if she will marry Karl or go abroad  to study.

三、但在[ or not ]前面要用[ whether ]，不能用[ if ]。

1.  Norman doesn’t know whether or not his dad will come to pick him up.

     = Norman doesn’t know whether his dad will come to pick him up or not.

2.  The question is whether or not the project has enough budget to carry on.

     = The question is whether the project has enough budget to carry on or not.

3.  It is not clear whether or not we have a rehearsal for Friday concert.

     = It is not clear whether we have a rehearsal for Friday concert or not.

4.  Whether Simon stays at his parents’ place or not doesn’t matter to us.

     = Whether or not Simon stays at his parents’ place doesn’t matter to us.

注意 :

1)  有些美語廣播節目提到不能使用[ if or not ]的句型(例句a)，然而可使用[ if … or not ] (例句b)，但當[ if … or not ]引導的名詞子句不能當主詞(例句c)。

     a) We don’t know if or not Lily will come.  (X)

     b) We don’t know if Lily will come or not.  (供參考)

     c) If Simon stays at his parents’ place or not doesn’t matter to us.  (X)

四、在[ 不定詞 ]前面要用[ whether ]，不能用[ if ]。

1.  The question is whether to give Barry a hand or let him do it by himself.

2.  The answer for whether to lend Jason money comes from the branch manager of the bank.

3.  The decision of whether to go to Paris or Rome for our winter vacation hasn’t made by my parents yet.

4.  It is up to my parents.  I can’t decide whether or not to go to the party.

5.  My uncle needs to tell me whether to meet him in Taipei.

6.  The decision whether to have an in-house training have not been made by our boss

五、在[ 介系詞 ]後面要用[ whether ]，不能用[ if ]。

1.  Cecelia is curious about whether Bruce can hand it his assignment on time.

2.  There is some doubt as to whether the story told by Harvey is true.

3.  The question of whether he told us a lie is our concern.

4.  The reply to whether you can take a long rest for your arm injury will come from personnel department.

5.  The winner of the scholarship to the student of Biology department depends on whether they have good grades or performances.

六、 [ whether ]引導的名詞子句若是主詞，[ whether ]不能用[ if ]來取代。

1.  Whether Robert can pass math is up to our math teacher.

2.  Whether Linda will give me a call is unknown to me.

3.  Whether customer satisfaction is good or bad mainly depends on the quality of product and after-sales services.

4.  Whether my parents will buy me a bike as a Christmas present is up to the result of my final exam.

5.  Whether I can get the job depends on my performance during the interview.  ( O )

6.  If I can get the job depends on my performance during the interview.  ( X )

注意 :

1)  下列[ it ]虛主詞代替[ whether ]或[ if ]引導的名詞子句時是正確的。

It is doubtful whether/if Sally will tell us what happened last Tuesday.

It is unknown whether/if I pass the exam.

七、 [ whether ]引導的名詞子句若是主詞補語，[ whether ]不能用[ if ]來取代。

1.  What parents care is whether their children can get into their ideal universities.

2.  The key issue is whether we are able not to rely on our smart phones too much.

注意 :

1)  下列[ whether ]引導的名詞子句也是主詞補語，但[ whether ]可以用[ if ]來取代。

We are not sure whether he’ll show up in today’s meeting.

[whether he’ll show up in today’s meeting]是主詞補語，但[ whether ]可以用[ if ]來取代，所以下列句子是正確的。

We are not sure if he’ll show up in today’s meeting.

下列句子也是正確的 –

I’m doubtful whether/if Ken tells the truth.

八、 [ whether ]引導的名詞子句若是同位語，[ whether ]不能用[ if ]來取代。

1.  The question whether John stole my money in my backpack is an unsolved mystery. 

2.  No one can give us a solid answer to the problem whether the deceased will be in the afterlife.

九、 [ whether ]引導的副詞子句，[ whether ]不能用[ if ]來取代。這時候[whether]的意思是[無論]，而不是[是否]。

1.  Whether you come to see my parents or not, I will not be with them.

2.  Whether Michelle fails the final or not, she is required to study harder.