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Whether vs Although - What's the difference?

whether | although |

As conjunctions the difference between whether and although

is that whether is Introducing a direct interrogative question (often with correlative {{term|or) which indicates doubt between alternatives.} while although is though, even though, in spite of the fact that: introducing a clause that expresses a concession.

As a pronoun whether

is which of two.

whether

English

Pronoun

(English Pronouns)
  • (obsolete) Which of two.
  • * 1526 , William Tyndale, trans. Bible , Matthew XXVII:
    • The debite answered and sayde unto them: whether of the twayne will ye that I lett loosse unto you?
  • * Bible, Matthew xxi. 31
    • Whether of them twain did the will of his father?

    Conjunction

    (English Conjunctions)
  • (lb)
  • *1526 , (William Tyndale), trans. Bible , Mark II:
  • *:whether ys it easyer to saye to the sicke of the palsey, thy synnes ar forgeven the: or to saye, aryse, take uppe thy beed and walke?
  • *1616 , (William Shakespeare), (King John) , I.i:
  • *:Whether hadst thou rather be a Faulconbridge, [...] Or the reputed sonne of Cordelion?
  • .
  • :
  • *
  • *:As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish,I do not suppose that it matters much in reality whether laws are made by dukes or cornerboys, but I like, as far as possible, to associate with gentlemen in private life.
  • *{{quote-news, year=2012, date=June 19, author=Phil McNulty, work=BBC Sport
    • , title= England 1-0 Ukraine , passage=The incident immediately revived the debate about goal-line technology, with a final decision on whether it is introduced expected to be taken in Zurich on 5 July.}}
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= Old soldiers? , passage=Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless. One thing that is true, though, is that murder rates have fallen over the centuries, as policing has spread and the routine carrying of weapons has diminished.}}
  • ; if, whether or not.
  • :
  • :

    • Usage notes

    * There is some overlap in usage between senses 2 and 3, in that a yes-or-no interrogative content clause can list the two possibilities explicitly in a number of ways:
    Do you know whether he's coming or staying?''
    ''Do you know whether he's coming or not?''
    ''Do you know whether or not he's coming?''
    Further, in the first two of these examples, the "or staying" and "or not" may be added as an afterthought (sometimes indicated in writing with a comma before), such that the ''whether may be uttered in sense 3 and then amended to sense 2. * Sense 4 does not have a counterpart that introduces only a single possibility; *"He's coming, whether you like it" is ungrammatical. * In traditional grammar, the clauses headed by whether'' in senses 2 and 3 are classified as noun clauses, and those headed by ''whether in sense 4 are classified as adverb clauses.

    Related terms

    * whethersoever * either * neither

    Statistics

    * English interrogative pronouns English subordinating conjunctions

    although

    English

    Alternative forms

    * altho (informal) * altho' * allthough (obsolete)

    Conjunction

    (English Conjunctions)
  • Though, even though, in spite of the fact that:
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited.}}
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
    • , chapter=20 citation , passage=The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=September 29, author=Jon Smith, work=BBC Sport
    • , title= Tottenham 3-1 Shamrock Rovers , passage=With the north London derby to come at the weekend, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp opted to rest many of his key players, although he brought back Aaron Lennon after a month out through injury.}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2012-03, author=Lee A. Groat, title=Gemstones
    • , volume=100, issue=2, page=128, magazine=(American Scientist) citation , passage=Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are diamond, ruby and sapphire, emerald and other gem forms of the mineral beryl, chrysoberyl, tanzanite, tsavorite, topaz and jade.}}
  • But, except.

    • Usage notes

    * When conjunctions, the words "although" and "though" are generally interchangeable: *: Although''' she smiled, she was angry.'' = '''''Though she smiled, she was angry. * "Although'" is usually placed at the beginning of its clause, whereas "though" may occur elsewhere and is the more common term when used to link words or phrases (as in "wiser ' though poorer"). In certain constructions, only "though" is acceptable: *: Fond though I am of sports, I'd rather not sit through another basketball game.

    Synonyms

    * (in spite of) notwithstanding (that), even if, albeit (that), even though

    Related terms

    * though * even though

    See also

    * while * albeit

    Statistics

    *