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Taka Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

If

We don't mind whether we move.


If the underlined "whether" was replaced with "if" as below, would it still make the same sense?


We don't mind if we move.

  

Top answer

[1] We don't mind if we move . [2] We don't mind whether we move (or not). They both make sense, but the meaning and the grammar are slightly different.

— BillJ

  • [1] We don't mind if we move .
  • [2] We don't mind whether we move (or not).
  • They both make sense, but the meaning and the grammar are slightly different.
  • In [1] the underlined expression is a conditional clause; it gives the condition which needs to be satisfied for you not to mind.
  • [2] is called an exhaustive conditional construction in which the underlined interrogative clause means that you won't mind if you move, and you won't mind if you don't, and this exhausts the options, hence the name of this construction.
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1 Answers
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[1] We don't mind if we move.

[2] We don't mind whether we move (or not).


They both make sense, but the meaning and the grammar are slightly different.

In [1] the underlined expression is a conditional clause; it gives the condition which needs to be satisfied for you not to mind.

[2] is called an exhaustive c

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