[Grammar] "Let me know whether you are coming or not".

[newkeenlearner]

Hi,

Are these bold parts noun clauses ?

"Let me know whether you are coming or not".
"Let me know if you are coming ".

And these are adverb clauses?

"I am coming over if you want me to."
"I am coming over whether you like it or not."

 

[PaulMatthews]

I take the first one to be an interrogative content clause and the others conditional constructions:

Let me know whether you are coming or not

The salient interpretation is that it's an interrogative content clause (embedded question) where the meaning is:

"Let me know the answer to the question 'Are you coming or not?"'

Let me know if you are coming.

I take this to be a conditional construction in which the if clause is a conditional adjunct. It has an if-then meaning, i.e. if you are coming then let me know.

I am coming if you want me to.

As above - a conditional construction. If the condition (your wanting me to) is met, then I am coming.

I am coming over whether you like it or not.

This is called an 'exhaustive conditional' construction. It means that I am coming over if you like it and I'm coming over if you don't like it, and these two conditions exhaust the options. So you know that I am coming over. It's called an 'exhaustive conditional' because it expresses a set of conditions that exhaustively cover the possibilities. And it's an interrogative because it expresses the question: "Do you like it or don't you like it"?

 

[jutfrank]

And it's an interrogative because it expresses the question: "Do you like it or don't you like it"?

Nice answer, Paul. I don't get this bit, though.

 

[PaulMatthews]

Nice answer, Paul. I don't get this bit, though.

This kind of interrogative is called a 'closed interrogative', which means it has a 'closed' set of answers - I do like it or I don't like it - to the question Do you like it or don't you like it?

 

[jutfrank]

I'm coming over whether you like it or not.

Okay, I can imagine that the speaker here may be in a state of uncertainty as to whether the listener likes it or not. But this is not necessarily the case. The listener may well have clearly indicated his objection to the speaker's coming over prior to this utterance.

 

[PaulMatthews]

I'm coming over whether you like it or not.

Okay, I can imagine that the speaker here may be in a state of uncertainty as to whether the listener likes it or not. But this is not necessarily the case. The listener may well have clearly indicated his objection to the speaker's coming over prior to this utterance.

But that's the whole point! The speaker is saying that they are coming over whether or not the referent of "you" has any objection, so any uncertainty is irrelevant. They are coming over, like it or not.

Note that it is an 'embedded' question, i.e. it only expresses a question rather than asking one directly.

 

[jutfrank]

I mean to say that just because it expresses two possible realities (either you like it or you don't like) doesn't mean that there's a question. Are you saying there's an irrelevant question?

 

[TheParser]

Are these bold parts noun clauses ?

"Let me know whether you are coming or not".
"Let me know if you are coming ".

NOT A TEACHER


I have found some information that may interest you.


1. "Let me know if/whether you are coming to Korea."

a. The underlined part is a noun clause.

b. It is the object of the verb "know."

c. The speaker wants to know a fact.

i. The entire clause could in theory be replaced with "this": "Let me know this/this fact."


Source: Let me know if - pattern - topic (Google result)