I read the information about using whether or whether or not on your web site; however, I am still not certain about making the choice. Could you please tell me the specific rules for using whether or whether or not?
Is this sentence okay?
You can go whether or not you finished your homework.
Best Answer
Bryan Garner, Garner's Modern American Usage, second edition (2003) answers this question in a consistent way that is easy to apply to particular instances of "whether (or not)":
By Garner's reasoning, you don't need or not in this sentence:
but you do need it in your original sentence: