Whether to use rather or whether, that is the question

Jul 05, 2008

Parts Of Speech
by: Audrey

Hello Sharon,

First of all, although you may be confused by the printed definitions, I doubt that you would ever put one of these words in place of the other. For example, I doubt that you would ever write

RATHER you buy from the neighbor store or a specialty shop from another country, you want the best value for your money.

That's because you can't replace one part of speech for another in a sentence. I'm sure you know the difference between nouns and verbs.

Here's an example of trying to replace one part of speech with another...

1. I saw two chairs and a table.

2. I saw two chairs and an eat.

You would never make that mistake because we can't replace a noun with a verb.

But you also said you had trouble with the definitions.

Here is my take on why that may be the case...

You are confusing having alternatives with having a preference for something.

The word WHETHER is about alternatives. Often we say, WHETHER OR NOT to signal that one might choose one thing or the other.

The word RATHER indicates a preference. I can say, I WOULD RATHER BE TALL. But I don't have a realistic alternative.

I hope this explanation helps.

Others may have additional insights.

Whether to use rather or whether, that is the question

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Whether to use rather or whether, that is the question