Will/shall

Share on Facebook

Pemmican

#7781 Fri, 12 Sep 03 02:58 AM

I'm wondering about the usage of "shall" instead of "will" when expressing a future event.

In school, I actually only learned the form "will" to be used whenever I want to say something about an action or situation that will happen in the future.

While I was reading some more books about English grammar, I noticed that especially the older ones say that the common form for the 1st person singular and plural is shall, while all the other persons take will.

Is that still true today or has "shall" in the meantime lost its future-function?

I ususally avoid "shall" and I rather stick to "will" when I want to say something about a future-event or just shorten it to I'll or we'll, while I prefer using "shall" when I want to say that someone is ordered to do something.

What form is more proper, is shall still used for future tense or is it rather old-fashioned?
Are there maybe differences in American and British English concerning shall/will??

Thank you for your reply!

Pemmican

Joined on Thu, Aug 21 2003

Westphalia, Germany

Regular Member (569)

Wâ mag ich mich nu vinden? wâ mac ich mich nu suochen, wâ? nu bin ich hie und bin ouch dâ und enbin doch weder dâ noch hie. wer wart ouch sus verirret ie?wer wart ie sus...

British English, English grammar, Grammar, Plurals, Tenses

ryan smith

#7791 Fri, 12 Sep 03 05:19 AM

In Canadian:

-Will- is for promises/predictions and future events.

-Shall- is for formal rules and means "must". "All applicants shall be present at an appeal hearing."

"Tomorrow, I shall go to the bank." sounds British to me.

ryan smith

Joined on Tue, Sep 9 2003

CLASSIFIED

Full Member (199)

Mike in Japan

#7795 Fri, 12 Sep 03 05:48 AM

It is in fact standard English.

Mike in Japan

Joined on Tue, Aug 19 2003

Hazzard County, Japan

Rank NA (4,349)

I do like to be beside the seaside

ryan smith

#7809 Fri, 12 Sep 03 09:25 AM

What is the "it" to which you're referring?

And, what the heck is "standard" English?

Sorry if I sound caustic, but your reply is a little vague.

ryan smith

Mike in Japan

#7816 Fri, 12 Sep 03 10:18 AM

It is probably easier to describe what Standard English is NOT, rather than what it IS.
Please follow this link to a paper written on this subject by one Peter Trudgill.
[link]

Mike in Japan

Pemmican

#8068 Sun, 14 Sep 03 03:57 PM

So will it be ok when I stick to "will" whenever I want to express a future action and "shall" when I want to say what someone has to do or ought to do?

Pemmican