Angliholic  +  435906 Sun, 28 Oct 07 11:56 AM I doubt that/whether/if he'll come. I doubt that/whether/if it was what he wanted. I do not doubt that/if/whether he will succeed. Which conjunction in the above samples should follow the verb doubt and why? This is confusing me when I use doubt in my wording. Is there a rule of thumb or something that I can go by? Thanks. Angliholic Joined on Wed, Feb 14 2007 SomewhereinFormosa Veteran Member 6,474 Without true love, life is meaningless and worthless since our physical world is nothing but a dream. ~~Angliholic~~簡瑞達 Verbs

	Marius Hancu  +  435909 Sun, 28 Oct 07 12:13 PM --------- QUESTION How can i explain to my students when to use 'if' or 'whether' -- for example, when they are interchangeable and when they are not. Is there a specific rule that governs the usage? GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE According to the New York Public Library's Writer's Guide to Style and Usage, "if" and "whether" are "interchangeable as long as the meaning is clear and the construction is sensible." I don't find that particularly helpful, myself, but that guide then goes on to say that either "if" or "whether" can be used after such verbs as ask, doubt, hear, and know: "Did you ask if/whether we had to be present to win?" and that "whether" is considered the more formal of the two. "Whether" is preferred at the beginning of a sentence to introduce a noun clause: "Whether he had a chance to win the election was a subject of considerable debate." Authority: New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage HarperCollins: New York. 1994. Cited with permission. p. 72. http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/grammarlogs3/grammarlogs470.htm ---------- Marius Hancu Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006 Veteran Member 11,673 Grammar, Verbs, Constructions, Clauses, Nouns

	Marius Hancu  +  435912 Sun, 28 Oct 07 12:16 PM Also, see: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whether http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/if and: item 3.1 here: http://www.philologie.fu-berlin.de/~flohaas/Handout%2011_synVI_SoSe06.pdf Marius Hancu

	Angliholic  +  435928 Sun, 28 Oct 07 12:35 PM Thanks, Marius, for the clear and helpful explanation and the links. Based on your reply, which conjunction should I use in the base sentences respectively? Angliholic

	Marius Hancu  +  435933 Sun, 28 Oct 07 12:43 PM IMO: that: if you just want to point out a single possibility/outcome whether: if you want to point out two contrasting choices (whether or not) Google hits: 888 for "doubt if he'll" 8,420 for "doubt whether he'll" 30,200 for "doubt that he'll" Marius Hancu

	Marius Hancu  +  435940 Sun, 28 Oct 07 12:52 PM ----------- If and whether It's  good editorial practice to distinguish between these two words. Use if for a conditional idea, whether for an alternative or a possibility. Let me know if you'll be coming means that I want to hear from you only if you're coming. But Let me know whether you'll be coming means that I want to hear from you about your  plans one way or another. Garner, Modern American Usage, p. 422 ---------- Marius Hancu Conditionals