Conditional verbs¶

Verbs that license conditionals, interrogatives, hypothesis, doubt, dependency etc

Core interrogative selectors¶

Verb	Register	Example
ascertain	formal	Investigators ascertained whether fraud occurred.
assess	formal	Analysts assess whether the risk is material.
ask	neutral	She asked whether it was valid.
check	neutral	Check whether the claim is true.
confirm	neutral/formal	Confirm whether the report is accurate.
decide	neutral	They decided whether to proceed.
determine	formal	The test determines whether it passes.
discover	neutral	We discovered whether it was feasible.
evaluate	formal	The model evaluates whether outcomes differ.
examine	formal	The paper examines whether growth slowed.
explore	formal	We explore whether this generalizes.
find out	neutral	We’ll find out if it holds.
investigate	formal	The team investigated whether bias exists.
know	neutral	He knows whether it works.
learn	neutral	She learned whether the method worked.
probe	formal	The report probes whether assumptions hold.
review	formal	The panel reviews whether standards were met.
see	informal	I’ll see if they respond.
test	neutral	They tested whether the hypothesis holds.
verify	formal	Verify whether the data align.
wonder	neutral	I wonder if this is correct.

Verb / Expression	Register	Example
be doubtful	formal	It’s doubtful whether gains remain.
be unclear	formal	It’s unclear whether this scales.
be uncertain	formal	It’s uncertain whether effects persist.
be unsure	neutral	I’m unsure whether it matters.
doubt	neutral	I doubt whether/if this works.
have doubts	neutral	They have doubts whether it’s viable.
query (BrE)	formal	Analysts query whether assumptions hold.
question	formal	We question whether this is justified.
wonder about	neutral	We wonder about whether this is stable.

Verb	Register	Example
be contingent (on)	formal	Approval is contingent on whether criteria are met.
depend (on)	neutral	It depends on whether he agrees.
hinge (on)	formal	Success hinges on whether funding arrives.
pivot (on)	formal	Strategy pivots on whether demand recovers.
rest (on)	formal	The case rests on whether intent is shown.
ride (on)	neutral	Everything rides on whether they deliver.
turn (on)	formal	The outcome turns on whether this holds.

Verb	Register	Example
audit	formal	Auditors audit whether controls function.
check	neutral	Check whether this is consistent.
confirm	neutral	Confirm whether the claim holds.
inspect	neutral	Inspect whether defects appear.
monitor	neutral	Monitor whether performance degrades.
track	neutral	Track whether metrics improve.
validate	formal	Validate whether the model generalizes.
verify	formal	Verify whether the figures match.

Verb	Register	Example
assume	formal	Assume the premise holds.
grant	formal	Grant that this is true.
imagine	neutral	Imagine the policy fails.
posit	formal	The theory posits that constraints bind.
say	informal	Say they refuse—what then?
stipulate	formal	The contract stipulates that payment is due.
suppose	neutral	Suppose he’s wrong—what follows?

Verb	Register	Example
argue	formal	The paper argues that effects persist.
believe	neutral	She believes that it’s valid.
contend	formal	Critics contend that the model fails.
expect	neutral	We expect that results will vary.
maintain	formal	The author maintains that the claim holds.
suspect	neutral	They suspect that bias exists.
think	neutral	I think that this works.

Related to validation

Verb	Register	Example
appear	formal	It appears that errors remain.
look (like)	informal	It looks like this will fail.
seem	neutral	It seems that demand fell.
sound (like)	informal	It sounds like a workaround.