If/whether
ex1) Whether he will come today is not certain (OK)
ex2) If he will come today is not certain (X)
Why is the second sentence ungrammatical?
Top answer
If the indirect question clause is the subject or the complement of a preposition, use 'whether', not 'if'. [ Whether the documents will be available on time] subj depends on the copy service you use. The manager will base his decision on [ whether the employees have made enough progress] comp of 'on' .
- If the indirect question clause is the subject or the complement of a preposition, use 'whether', not 'if'.
- [ Whether the documents will be available on time] subj depends on the copy service you use.
- The manager will base his decision on [ whether the employees have made enough progress] comp of 'on' .
- CJ
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If the indirect question clause is the subject or the complement of a preposition, use 'whether', not 'if'.
[Whether the documents will be available on time]subj depends on the copy service you use.
The manager will base his decision on [whether the employees have made enough progress]comp of 'on'.
CJ
0If he will come today is not certain.
In constructions specifically like yours, I think it's better to say that it's the position of the subordinate interrogative clause that causes the ungrammatically, in that it’s not permitted for it to precede the superordinate clause verb. Only “whether” is permitted in such constructions.
In your example, the interro
0
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