grammarGRAMMAR


Shall And Will: The Rules Of Form And Use


Introduction

The use of the modal verbs shall and will can be confusing. This page will present the form and use of these two modal verbs.

What is the difference between shall and will?

The general rule is that shall is used to form the future tense with first-person pronouns (i.e., I and we), whereas will is used with all the pronouns - the first, second, and third-person pronouns (i.e., I, you, he, she, it, we, they).

Here are some quick rules about shall and will. We will start with the rules of form and then proceed with the rules of use.

Forms of shall and will

1. Will is used with all persons.

I, you, he, she, it, we, they will go there

2. shall is used with the first person singular and plural.

I, we shall go

3. The short form of will and shall is 'll.

I, you, he, she, it, we, they will call you
'll

I, we shall call you
'll

4. In the negative, the short forms of will not and shall not are won't and shan't respectively.

I, you, he, she, it, we, they will not give up
won't

I, we shall not give up
shan't

The table below summarizes all the forms:

Affirmative
I, we will/shall go
'll
You, he, she, it, they will
'll
Negative
I, we will/shall not go
won't/shan't
You, he, she, it, they will
'll
Interrogative
Will/shall I, we go?
Will You, he, she, it, they
Form of Shall and Will

Uses of shall

Note:

Shall is a modal verb that is used with I and we. It is always followed by the base form of the verb (i.e., the bare infinitive.)

Example:

  • I shall come.
  • We shall see.

Shall is used in formal English with I and we (the first-person singular and plural) in the future tense. It may also be used to express advice, make a suggestion, or an offer.

Shall for future tense

  • I shall be on time for the meeting.
  • We shall send you an email when we have further information.
  • I inform you that we shall start the meeting tomorrow at 9 am.

Shall for advice

  • I have a toothache. What shall I do?
  • What shall we do with this problem?
  • What shall I do to get rid of my acne?
  • Shall I see a doctor?

Shall for making suggestions

  • Shall we dance?
  • Shall we meet next Monday?
  • Shall we dance?
  • Shall I get his phone number?
  • Shall I close the door?
  • Let's go to the movies, shall we?

Shall for making offers

  • Shall I help you with your heavy box?
  • Shall I make you a cup of coffee?
  • Shall I cook something for you?
  • Shall I bring cookies with a cup of tea?

Shall in some special cases

As said above shall is used with the first-person singular and plural (I and we.) But there is a very special use of shall with other pronouns to make a promise, command, or threat as noted below:

  • You shall not get in! (Command)
  • You shall pay for it. (Threat)
  • You shall get your money back soon. (Promise)

Shall in American English

In American English shall is mainly used in formal or legal documents:

  • You shall abide by the law.
  • There shall be no trespassing on this property.
  • Students shall not enter this room.

Uses of will

Note:

Will is a modal verb that is used with all the first, scond and third persons singular and plural (i.e., I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. Like shall, It is always followed by the base form of the verb (i.e., the bare infinitive.)

Examples:

  • I will do it.
  • She will arrive early.
  • You will see.

 

Will is used to express the future tense. It may express predictions or instant decisions, but it can be also used to make requests, promises, and offers.

Will for future tense

Will describes the future and may express a prediction or an instant decision:

  • He is a hardworking student. He'll pass the exam (prediction.)
  • They say it will rain a lot in the northern part of the country (prediction.)
  • Hang on. I'll get a pen (instant decision.)
  • "I've left the door open." "I'll close it." (Instant decision.)

Will for offers

  • I'll give you a lift to the airport if you want.
  • We'll come and see you next week.

Will for requests

  • Will you lend me your phone, please?
  • Will you carry this bag for me, please?

Will for promises

  • I'll help you fix your car.
  • We'll pay you a visit next week.

Will for commands

  • You will do what you are told.
  • Will you shut your mouth for a second?
Uses of Shall and Will

Conclusion

Generally, we use shall with the bare infinitive to form the future tense with the first-person pronouns (i.e., I and we.) Will is also used with the bare infinitive to express the future tense. However, will is used with all the pronouns - the first, second, and third-person pronouns (i.e., I, you, he, she, it, we, they). We may use shall and will to make offers, requests, promises, commands, suggestions, or to ask for advice.

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