Introduction

According to one tradition of prescriptive grammar, the modal verb shall in English has traditionally been used to express mere futurity for the first person. This is to say, a foretelling or an expectation of my or our future action, in which, naturally enough, a certain degree of plan or intention may be included, is expressed by using shall in the first person (I and we).

Hence:

• I shall go.
• We shall go.

But:

• You will go. (also "Thou wilt go." and "Ye will go.")
• He/She/It will go.
• They will go.

This rule affects all four kinds of future tense:

• I shall go. (simple)
• I shall be going. (progressive/continuous)
• I shall have gone. (perfect simple)
• I shall have been going. (perfect continuous)

Some people regard this approach as formal, and some claim that will is displacing shall in most situations, particularly so because the useful contraction 'll stands for both these modal verbs. Whereas the rule still has some force in British English, in American English shall has a much more restricted role, and the negative contraction shan't does not occur.

It should be noted that the preterite forms of will and shall, would and should respectively, abide by the same rules; however 'd does not stand for should; it is a contraction solely of the words would and had.

Idiomatic Use

The main modification of this general rule is the surviving idiomatic use of the Old English senses of shall and will, which is said to be an infallible test of the correct English speaker (per Dr Charles Talbut Onions). Dr Onions summarises these special uses thus:

• Shall denotes obligation, necessity or permission.
• Will denotes resolve or willingness.

Dr Onions' examples from An Advanced English Syntax are these:

1. I will (= am resolved to) live a bachelor.
2. Will you (= do you intend or wish to) take it with you, or shall I (= am I to) send it?
3. We will (= are resolved to) send someone to fetch you.
4. He will (= is determined to) go, say what you may.
5. Thou shalt not steal. You (he, they) shall go this instant.
6. Where the tree falls, there it shall lie.
7. He found the country in a state of unrest, for reasons which you shall (= you will be permitted to) hear.
8. You shall repay me at your convenience. (either permission or obligation)
9. Wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife? Answer: I will.

Shall is sometimes stronger than will: "You will stay?" – "I shan't."

Will is also used to express commands: "You will do your homework."

Or, surprisingly, to soften a request, though would is more common here. "Will you kindly hand me that pen?" (or "Would you kindly ...")

Another point to note is that the auxiliary used in questions should be the one expected in the answer: "Shall you accompany me?" – "I shall." To use will here would be a request; going-to future would express more the intention than mere futurity.
For example: "Should you like it?" expects the answer "Yes (or no), I should (or shouldn't)", whereas "Would you like it?" expects the answer "Yes, you would" (or the corresponding negative) from the same speaker (or used rhetorically), since "you would" is the right form for the speaker, but not for the respondent (if he or she exists).

Current Common Use

In the U.S., the strong form (see "Pronunciation") is considered extremely stilted in spoken language. The weak form is rarely noticed in speech, on account of its similarity to the weak form of will. However, shall is still current in written English and is generally preferred in the second and third persons. "I shall" as the simple future is quickly passing out of all usage as the first person increasingly mirrors the second and third: that is, "I/we will" is understood as being equivalent in meaning to "you will", and "I shall" means the same as "you shall". The old should-would distinction has passed out of modern speech entirely, and is used mainly as an archaism or affectation; would is now invariably the simple conditional, while should is synonymous with ought to . See Will (verb) for further details.

It is advisable not to use shall at all if you don't understand the traditional difference well. Improper usage is immediately apparent to those who make the distinction, and you may come off as pretentious. To those who don't distinguish between shall and will', shall may seem archaic or affected. Shall is a sensitive word and should be used with caution.

Other Uses of Shall

1. In 'officialese', it is often used to denote actions in prospect or those which are being considered. For example: "In the rules it is written that a player shall be sent off for using improper language." (however, common usage might prefer "... a player is sent off ...", or "... a player should be sent off ...", although this latter does not convey the exact same meaning)

2. In implied commands: "She intends that you shall help me." (more common, however, is "She intends you to help me.")

3. In official orders: "All candidates shall remain in their seats until the end of the examination."

4. When offering or proposing: "Shall I open the window?" (to use will here would normally imply necessity, as in "Will I (need to) open the window?")

Pronunciation

The negative form of shall is shall not, or shan't. Shall is pronounced in three different ways:

• the non-stressed form: IPA )
• the strong form: IPA /ʃæl/ or /ʃɑl/ )

Shan't is always pronounced as IPA /ʃɑːnt/).

External Links

• Shall and Will. Fowler, H. W. 1908. The King's English - thorough discussion on the subject
• shall. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
• should. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
• if. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. - See usage note.
• Webster 1913 - Entry for Shall