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If his words are true is suspicious.

Is this sentence grammatically correct? I learned "whether" can be used with "to ｰ " and "or not", but "if/that" can't do so. I understand this rule but I wonder whether we can use "if" at the position of subject. It's because we grammatically can use "that SV -" as the subject : That I pass the exam is easy. (Basically, we say that it is easy to pass the exam.)

gotube
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1 Answers1

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Your sentence:

If his words are true is suspicious.

I suggest you expand the sentence. As it stands, its wording is awkward. Here are some suggestions:

  1. His words may be true, but I find them suspicious.

  2. I find his words to be suspicious.

  3. While he claims his words are true, I find them suspicious.

  4. Though he claims his words are true, I find them suspicious.

  5. I suspect his words--that he claims are true--are not true.

  6. I suspect his words are untrue.

If you choose to use a word that is similar in meaning to suspicious, I suggest--thanks to contributor FumbleFingers--you use the word doubt(or doubtful). For example:

  • I doubt that his words are true.

  • I'm doubtful his words are true.

As for starting the sentence with the "if clause," I suggest you try a different approach. You could say,

  • If his words are true, well, I sincerely doubt it.

That sentence is possible, but it is unnecessarily wordy.

rhetorician
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  • I'm grad for you to answer my question! I wanna know whether we can use if clause the same as whether clause at the position of subject. What do you think? –  Jun 17 '22 at 14:00
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    Awkward? I'd say OP's "sentence" is both ungrammatical and nonsensical! *Whether his words are true is doubtful* is fine, and I could almost (but not quite) accept *If his words are true is doubtful. But suspicious* makes no sense, and *if* doesn't work for me in this context. – FumbleFingers Jun 17 '22 at 14:02
  • I tried to use "suspicious" like "doubtful". I didn't know the difference between these words. Thank you for telling me. –  Jun 17 '22 at 14:10
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    At fumbleFingers: Thanks for the additional idea. I'll be sure to include it in the revision of my answer. Don – rhetorician Jun 17 '22 at 17:39
  • @HARUKA: See my revision for my opinion about the "if clause." Don – rhetorician Jun 17 '22 at 17:48