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LeGion12359 Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Whether/Either

Any man, whether liberal or conservative, would agree with me.
Would there be a change in meaning if I say the above sentence thus:
Any man, whether it be liberal or conservative, would agree with me?
If yes, then what would be the change?
Moreover, could we replace 'whether' with 'either' in this case?
  

Top answer

LeGion12359 Any man, whether it be liberal or conservative, would agree with me? No. That's incorrect because "it" is not used to refer to people.

— Teechr

  • LeGion12359 Any man, whether it be liberal or conservative, would agree with me?
  • No.
  • That's incorrect because "it" is not used to refer to people.
  • "
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4 Answers
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LeGion12359Any man, whether it be liberal or conservative, would agree with me?
No. That's incorrect because "it" is not used to refer to people.

You could say: "Any man, be they liberal or conservative, would agree with me."
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teechrNo. That's incorrect because "it" is not used to refer to people.You could say: "Any man, be they liberal or conservative, would agree with me."
Oh Sorry, I mistook. Thank you.
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The use of "either" would be grammatical, but it would imply that a man is either liberal or conservative!
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teechrThe use of "either" would be grammatical, but it would imply that a man is either liberal or conservative!
Hmm, OK.
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