0
Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Wonder whether

Hello Friends,

When using 'wonder whether', must it always be followed by the negative?

I wondered whether he was from London.
I wondered whether he was not from London.

Is the second one alone right?

Thanks,
Lin
  

Top answer

Anonymous When using 'wonder whether', must it always be followed by the negative? No. The meaning is the same either way.

— CalifJim

  • Anonymous When using 'wonder whether', must it always be followed by the negative?
  • No.
  • The meaning is the same either way.
  • The negative, if you use it, is called a pleonastic negative, which means you don't need it because it's essentially meaningless.
  • The only shade of meaning it adds is that it suggests you think the answer is 'yes'.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

2 Answers
0
AnonymousWhen using 'wonder whether', must it always be followed by the negative?
No. The meaning is the same either way. The negative, if you use it, is called a pleonastic negative, which means you don't need it because it's essentially meaningless. The only shade of meaning it adds is that it suggests you think the answer is 'yes'. In this case the seco
0
0
Thanks, that makes a lot of sense.
0

Related Questions