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Park sang joon Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
I don't know that I think~
The protagonist, Philip moved in with his uncle Mr. Carey, the Vicar of Blackstable after his mother's death.
He goes to the medical school St. Luke's in London.
He bought for his whole fortune the stocks of a gold mine in South Africa following the stockbroker MacAlister's suggestion during the Boer War.
"He" refers to MacAlister.
........................................
"I wanted to see you, Carey," he said. "My people don't feel inclined to hold those shares any more, the market's in such an awful state, and they want you to take them up."
Philip's heart sank. He knew that was impossible. It meant that he must accept the loss. His pride made him answer calmly.
"I don't know that I think that's worth while. You'd better sell them."
[Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham]
It sounds odd to me "I don't know that I think that's worth while."
And I was wondering why it is "I don't know that I think~," not "I don't know why I should think~."
Thank you in advance for your help.
He goes to the medical school St. Luke's in London.
He bought for his whole fortune the stocks of a gold mine in South Africa following the stockbroker MacAlister's suggestion during the Boer War.
"He" refers to MacAlister.
........................................
"I wanted to see you, Carey," he said. "My people don't feel inclined to hold those shares any more, the market's in such an awful state, and they want you to take them up."
Philip's heart sank. He knew that was impossible. It meant that he must accept the loss. His pride made him answer calmly.
"I don't know that I think that's worth while. You'd better sell them."
[Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham]
It sounds odd to me "I don't know that I think that's worth while."
And I was wondering why it is "I don't know that I think~," not "I don't know why I should think~."
Thank you in advance for your help.
Top answer
park sang joon I don't know that I think~ I don't know if I think ... I don't know whether I think ... 'that' is less used than 'if' in this turn of phrase.
- park sang joon I don't know that I think~ I don't know if I think ...
- I don't know whether I think ...
- 'that' is less used than 'if' in this turn of phrase.
- There is only a slight difference.
- With "that" the meaning shades slightly toward "I can't say with certainty that I think that's worth while".
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10 Answers
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park sang joonI don't know that I think~I don't know if I think ...
I don't know whether I think ...
'that' is less used than 'if' in this turn of phrase. There is only a slight difference.
With "that" the meaning shades slightly toward "I can't say with certainty that I think that's worth while".
CJ
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park sang joonI don't know that I think that's worth while.Broken into info nuggets:
I don't know that (similar to: I don't know if or I'm not sure that)
I think
that's worth while. (that is worthwhile)
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CalifJimI don't know if I think ...I don't know whether I think ...Back in high school I had a teacher who would scold students who used whether without or (or or not). She said that whether evaluates listed options but if allows unstated options.
I'm not sure that she was correct but she was definitely v
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Use a corpus like COCA, or for quick-and-dirty, fraze.it. You may be able to find out what current usage is for "whether" and "if". I treat the "or not" as implied where no other alternative is explicitly stated.
CJ
CJ
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CalifJimUse a corpus like COCA, or ...Thanks for the referrals. I'll have to check them out.
For now, what is your position on the topic? (whether or not)
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SoSaysSunnywhat is your position on the topic?"or not" is not necessary (if that's what you're asking).
CJ
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I went over to Fraze.it and found many examples but didn't find any rules for whether ...
Could you help me get started?
Could you also provide a link or the full name of COCA?
Could you help me get started?
Could you also provide a link or the full name of COCA?
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Those are just corpuses (corpora), so there are no rules. These are just searchable databases containing published English-language material. All you get is examples taken from publications. I don't use COCA, so I can't help. It's probably not that difficult. Google COCA to get the entry link. There's also a British corpus if I'm not mistaken, but I don't use that one either!
On thi
On thi
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Fraze.it was perfectly simple for that purpose (current usage examples). I thought you were saying that site offered a style guide for whether or not. My mistake.
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