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Question "wonder whether ..."

hirashin

Sempai
Donor
8 Apr 2004
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Dear native English speakers,
I want to make some sentences with "whether", not "if".

How about these sentences? Is it better to use "if" instead in (a) and (b)?
(a) I wonder whether my old friend Jackie is still alive. He must be over eighty if he is alive.
(b) The rain was getting harder. I wondered whether my plane could land safely.
(c) It is very important whether you will get good marks on the final exams or not.
(d) I asked Mark whether he would help Jane with her homework or not.
(e) Whether you like it or not, you'll have to take the entrance exam to enter this college.

Thanks in advance.

Hirashin
 
"Whether" is perfect A, B, D, and E. It's the preferred choice in D and E; A and B can substitute "if" just fine with no change in meaning.

Regarding C, if you want to say that something is important regardless of what your marks on the final exams are, then remove "will" from that sentence (in this case, you cannot substitute "if" for "whether"):

"It is very important whether you get good marks on the final exams or not."
 
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