If or Whether

After verbs that are more common in a formal style , whether is preferred.
We discussed whether we should close the shop.


In a formal style, whether is usually preferred in a two-part question with or.

If an indirect question is fronted, whether is used.
Whether I'll have time I'm not sure at the moment.

NikooIn a formal style, whether is usually preferred in a two-part question with or.

Could you please explain what a two part question is? I mean, I did not get what you meant by that.
Thanks
KRK

Here is an example:
The directors have not decided whether they will recommend a dividend or reinvest the profits.

1. The directors have not decided whether they will recommend a dividend.
2. The directors have not decided whether they will reinvest the profits.


Another one:
Since George is over 16, he can lega

Oh! It was that simple and I thought about it in a very, um, complex sort-of way.
The idea is now very clear, Thanks
KRK

Kartik Raj KannaWhen reporting a question, how can we decide when to use if and when to use whether

Reports of questions used as indirect speech acts favour "if":

"Would you like to stay to dinner"? ~ "I asked them if they'd like to stay to dinner".
"Would you mind moving your car"? ~ "He wants to know if you'

BillJ"If" tends to be preferred in cases of this kind. "Whether" would give more prominence to the question itself than to the indirect speech act: it focuses on the choice between possible answers.Different considerations apply to non-reporting sentences, but you specifically asked about reported questions.

Dear BillJ,
What I wrote specifically applies to

The examples you gave are not reported questions, they are non-reported indirect questions, which is not what the OP asked about. See my reply for genuine examples of reported questions.

BillJ