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Reegis Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

It really does not make a difference whether you (will) do it or not.

Hello.

Please have a look at the sentences below:

1) It really does not make a difference whether you do it or not.
2) It really does not make a difference whether you will do it or not.

Which one is correct?
I guess it might come down to whether 'you do it or not' is a conditional clause or not... Similarly like for 'if'. But I don't know it Emotion: sad
  

Top answer

Reegis Which one is correct? 1) already implies present OR future, so 'will' is superfluous. Use 1).

— CalifJim

  • Reegis Which one is correct?
  • 1) already implies present OR future, so 'will' is superfluous.
  • Use 1).
  • Reegis Similarly like for 'if'.
  • But I don't know.
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6 Answers
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ReegisWhich one is correct?
1) already implies present OR future, so 'will' is superfluous. Use 1).
ReegisSimilarly like for 'if'. But I don't know. it
Just some minor corrections.
Reegiswhether 'you do it or not' is a conditional clause
It's not a conditional clause
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CalifJimalready implies present OR future
Is it possible to put it in a way that would make this sentence unambiguously speaking about present (or future with 'will'?)?
For example I see that somebody is in the process of doing something that is not going to make any difference and I would like to comment on this. Can I say the sentence below?
3) It
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ReegisI see that somebody is in the process of doing something that is not going to make any difference and I would like to comment on this. Can I say the sentence below?3) It really does not make a difference whether you are doing it or not.
Yup.
ReegisHmmm, so maybe 'will' is not only superfluous but also incorrect?
Right.
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CalifJimRight. It's so dangerously close to "incorrect" that we may as well say it's incorrect.
I see. Thanks!
CalifJim'advice' is like an amorphous substance in English, so you can't have "each".
Yeah, I forgot that 'advice' is uncountable... By the way, if one wanted to say "one advice" I guess he should say "a piece of adv
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ReegisBy the way, if one wanted to say "one advice" I guess he should say "a piece of advice".
We don't often say "Let me give you a piece of advice" (though it's OK); we usually say "Let me give you some advice".

CJ
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