[Vocabulary] If either?

[hhtt21]

Would you please help me with this?

Scenario: A diamond is stolen from a house.

Let's see what will these sentence say about it.

1. Nobody were knowing that who were the thief.

2. Nobody were knowing that who were the thief, if either.

What is the difference between 1 and 2? What kind of a meaning does "if either" add?

Source: Self-made.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Both sentences are ungrammatical and make no sense.

If either does not add anything. It just makes the sentence more confusing.

If either means that there are two suspects. But the sentence does not mention two suspects.

 

[jutfrank]

Please don't make up your own sentences and then proceed to ask us what you mean.

What exactly are you trying to do?

 

[hhtt21]

Please don't make up your own sentences and then proceed to ask us what you mean.

What exactly are you trying to do?

I would like to understand how "if either" works.

 

[emsr2d2]

Would you please help me with this?

Scenario: A diamond [STRIKE]is[/STRIKE] has been stolen from a house.

[STRIKE]Let's see what will these sentence say about it.[/STRIKE] I have written two sentences based on the scenario.

1. Nobody [STRIKE]were knowing that[/STRIKE] knew who [STRIKE]were[/STRIKE] the thief was.
2. Nobody [STRIKE]were knowing that[/STRIKE] knew who [STRIKE]were[/STRIKE] the thieves were. [STRIKE]if either.[/STRIKE]

What is the difference between 1 and 2? What kind of a meaning does "if either" add?

Source: Self-made.

See my corrections above. Both sentences were ungrammatical and almost incomprehensible. "If either" had no place in either of them because there was no referent. We would need to know already who (or what) "either" refers to. My best guess of what you're trying to get at is something like this:

We don't know if it was stolen by Peter or by Paul, if, indeed, it was either of them.

Honestly, I think this kind of construction is above your level at the moment, hhtt21. As jutfrank said, don't write sentences if you don't already know what they mean. If you want to ask us about "if either", find some genuine example sentences, written by native speakers, and study them.

 

[Rover_KE]

Click here to see many examples of 'if either' used in a variety of contexts.

Be sure to use quotation marks as shown, and bookmark the site for future reference.

 

[hhtt21]

We don't know if it was stolen by Peter or by Paul, if, indeed, it was either of them.

Would you please explain the use of "it"? Who does "it" there refer to? Those names are "male names", so assuming they are male, don't you use "he" instead of "it"?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Would you please explain the use of "it"? Who does "it" there refer to? Those names are [STRIKE]"[/STRIKE]male names[STRIKE]"[/STRIKE], so assuming they are male, don't you use "he" instead of "it"?

It refers to what was stolen: the diamond. People are not stolen, they are kidnapped. So he is wrong, and it is correct.

 

[emsr2d2]

"It" refers to the theft of the diamond. I'm almost inclined to say it's like a dummy "it" but I don't think it really is.

 

[probus]

I'm certainly no grammarian, but I'd call the second it a dummy it.

 

[Tdol]

I would like to understand how "if either" works.

There were two people in the house when the diamond was stolen, but we don't know if either was the thief.

 

[hhtt21]

There were two people in the house when the diamond was stolen, but we don't know if either was the thief.

Does this mean both might not be a thief. Even a third person might be a thief.

 

[Tdol]

It suggests that both might not be guilty. If so, then the thief had to be a third person.

 

[5jj]

Difficult when there were only two people in the house.

 

[Tdol]

Burglar who got away? Dog? The police officer? I've been watching too many detective films under lockdown.

 

[emsr2d2]

Quite clearly, the butler did it. ;-)

 

[probus]

If I live to be a hundred I'll never forget the butler who said that to earn a living he buttled.

 

[Tdol]

Paul Kaye filmed himself in character telling the people waiting to watch Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap who did it.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

If I live to be a hundred I'll never forget the butler who said that to earn a living he buttled.

And this butler burgled.

So if we're sticklers, does that mean we stickle?