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Is the following sentence grammatically correct?

Nobody wants to pay for something they are not certain whether they will like it or not.

In particular is the pronoun it, correct. If not, how can I correctly formulate the sentence?

Matt E. Эллен
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Babana Moisrure
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1 Answers1

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Your sentence contains a reduced relative clause (in other words, the relative pronoun which or that has been omitted). Expanded it reads:

Nobody wants to pay for something that they are not certain whether they will like it or not.

Embedded within the relative clause is another clause (whether they will like it or not) which contains the pronoun it. The it in this case refers back to the relative pronoun that. This type of repeated pronoun is called a resumptive pronoun.

Resumptive pronouns are a feature of some languages, but are considered ungrammatical in formal English contexts. Therefore, you need to omit it so that your sentence reads:

Nobody wants to pay for something they are not certain whether they will like or not

Shoe
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    Nobody wants to pay for something they might not like. – Michael Harvey Jul 07 '18 at 07:52
  • I don't find your last sentence entirely grammatical. It's a bit squiffy to me, in fact worse than the OP's. I think it's one of those places where there's no good way to make the relative clause, a bit like * Which tournament does Bob have brothers who play in? – Araucaria - Him Jul 07 '18 at 17:25
  • @Michael Harvey. Your version is a certainly a more concise and less contentious way than the OP's to convey the intended meaning. – Shoe Jul 08 '18 at 07:02
  • @Araucaria. Squiffiness (squiffidity?) is clearly in the ear of the beholder! How does it sound to you if the relative pronoun is restored and the resumptive pronoun retained: Nobody wants to pay for something that they are not certain whether they will like it or not? – Shoe Jul 08 '18 at 07:04