no matter A or B

[joham]

Dictionaries say 'no matter' is followed by wh-words. Then is it right to use the contruction of 'no matter A or B':

They have to stay with the cattle, no matter rain or hail.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Rover_KE]

Dictionaries say 'no matter' is followed by wh-words. Then is it right to use the contruction of 'no matter A or B':

They have to stay with the cattle, no matter rain or hail.

Thank you in advance.

No - it is not right.

You could say 'They have to stay with the cattle, come rain or hail'.

Dictionaries say 'no matter' is followed by wh-words.

What dictionaries say that?

You can also say '...no matter if it rains or hails' and '...no matter how hard it rains or hails'.

Rover

 

[BobK]

... [wh- words rule]
What dictionaries say that?

You can also say '...no matter if it rains or hails' and '...no matter how hard it rains or hails'.

Rover

Interesting ;-) Some people would prefer 'no matter whether it rains or hails'. Similarly, those people would prefer an 'if' to become 'whether' in reported speech:

'Tell me if this is OK.' => He asked whether it was OK.

Perhaps the dictionaries in question would agree on this point as well.

But I know 'whether' is becoming unpopular recently; I'm afraid its days are numbered. ;-)

b

 

[joham]

No - it is not right.

You could say 'They have to stay with the cattle, come rain or hail'.



What dictionaries say that?

You can also say '...no matter if it rains or hails' and '...no matter how hard it rains or hails'.

Rover

LONGMAN：
21 no matter how/whether/what etc also no matter the ... used to say that something is true or that something happens whatever the situation is:

Feeding a baby is a messy job no matter how careful you are.

I'm determined to visit Japan no matter what it costs.

He visited her every day no matter the weather.

26 no matter that
used to say that something is not important and will not affect a situation:

I would always be an outsider here - no matter that I spoke fluent Spanish.