no matter whether = whether?

Question

Excuse me, does anyone know if the following two sentences are equal?

No matter whether it is a good book, I will not read it.
Whether it is a good book, I will not read it.

can we switch between "no matter whether" and "whether"?

thanks

I believe this question belongs to English Language Learners — SF., Jul 18 '14 at 08:35
This should not go to English Language and Usage without much improvement. — Kit Z. Fox, Jul 18 '14 at 18:40
Also, English Language Learners is not the same thing as English Language and Usage. I believe that would require some revision to demonstrate research effort as well. — Kit Z. Fox, Jul 18 '14 at 18:58
This question appears to be off-topic because it is about grammar and correct usage of basic words, not about writing. — Standback, Jul 20 '14 at 12:39

score 2 · Answer 1 · 2014-07-20T08:12:45.190

2

Like this:

No matter whether it is a good book, I will not read it.
Whether it is a good book or not, I will not read it.

edited Jul 20 '14 at 08:12

answered Jul 18 '14 at 14:39

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 18 '14 at 06:58

1

The second is probably grammatically correct, but it doesn't feel right to me somehow. I'm not sure why. I want an "or not" in there somewhere.

answered Jul 18 '14 at 06:58

Dale Hartley Emery

24,117
1
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I think that the "or not" is technically needed in both sentences, but is more successfully implied in the first than in the second. – Anna M Jul 18 '14 at 13:45

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 18 '14 at 08:21

1

The second sentence does not feel to be grammatically correct. The second sentence should be "Whether it is a good book or not, I will not read it".

It can be even made simple by writing "Even if it is a good book, I will not read it."

answered Jul 18 '14 at 08:21

vivek_ganesan

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no matter whether = whether?

3 Answers3