Usage of whether

Question

1) Whether this is countable or uncountable, there is a meaning difference.2) Whether this is countable or uncountable, there is no meaning difference.I think that #1 is not possible in meaning and grammar and #2 is okay to use, right?3) Depending on countable or uncountable noun, there is a meaning difference.#3 is fine to use. What do you native English speakers think? Thank you so much in advance.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Numbers 1) and 2) are both grammatically correct and are both syntactically incorrect. That is, neither one makes sense.

Hans513) Depending on countable or uncountable noun, there is a meaning difference.

This one makes sense, but has a grammar problem.
I'd suggest, Depending on whether the noun is countable or uncountable, there is a meaning difference.
Or, reversing the order, There is a meaning difference, depending on whether the noun is countable or uncountable.

Hans51 · Answer

Thank you so much and It seems to me that 2) "Whether this is countable or uncountable, there is no meaning difference" is possible and natural in meaning, if there are nouns that are both countable and uncountable and meaning is the same. I have read it several times and It sounds okay to me. Could you elaborate on the sentence again.

Avangi · Answer

Hans51 2) "Whether this is countable or uncountable, there is no meaning difference."

I pondered over this for a while yesterday before replying.
My position is that yes, there are sentences which may be interpreted either way; but once a decision is made one way or the other, the noun cannot have both meanings. (In most cases the decision is locked in place by the article, or by the absence thereof.)
If you search diligently, you may find counterexamples, in which the countable and uncountable meanings of a particular noun are so close that the distinction is lost. I haven't yet made such a search, but I'll give it a go.

Rgdz, - A.

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