first / before

[jchtse]

Hi,

i am wondering if both of the following sentences acceptable

"I just want to give him the warning before I punish him"
"I just want to give him the warning first before I punish him"

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hi,

I am wondering if both of the following sentences are acceptable:

"I just want to give him a warning before I punish him."
"I xxx want to give him a warning first, before I punish him."

Mind your punctuation!

You might also think about the word if versus whether. I think it's a matter of personal preference, but you could look them up to see if there's a big difference.

[I edit copy and have tutored college writing.]