In other words, shall is exactly the same as must here, and it has the force of a command, an imperative. This is the deontic sense of those verbs, since it is saying how the world ought to be, not merely how it is going to be.
Why do you need to hold your property in a trust?
Should you hold your properties in a trust? 1 Invest in a family trust. 2 Understand the roles associated with trusts and their function. Advantages of trusts 3 Control. 4 Protection. 5 Income distribution. Disadvantages of trusts 6 Tax losses are carried forward if held in a standard trust. 7 Set-up and accounting fees.
Which is the best form of holding property?
October 06, 2015. A trust is one form of holding property. It is easy to assume holding property in your own name gives you the most control, but holding property in trust could protect you and your assets in case of unexpected financial pressure.
Can a person take control of your property?
If the person setting up the trust is unethical, they may name themselves as appointor. This means they can sack you as trustee and take control of your property. You’d instantly lose everything held in that trust. This is a very scary scenario, so always check your documents. Control – You own nothing, but control everything.
What is the meaning of the word shall?
In context, the word “shall” may reasonably be understood as “should,” a precatory encouragement to the parties to work matters out.” … Because the word “shall” may reasonably be construed to mean either “should” or “must,” the court finds that its meaning is unclear.
Can a married couple hold title to a property?
All tenants in common have the right to occupy the property, and neither party can exclude the other. This kind of title is typically used by married couples. 6 However, the application depends on the state in which you live. 7 In community property states, like California, community property titles bestow equal ownership to both parties.
Should you hold your properties in a trust? 1 Invest in a family trust. 2 Understand the roles associated with trusts and their function. Advantages of trusts 3 Control. 4 Protection. 5 Income distribution. Disadvantages of trusts 6 Tax losses are carried forward if held in a standard trust. 7 Set-up and accounting fees.
What’s the most common way to hold title to a property?
The most common of these methods of holding title are as follows: Joint tenancy Tenancy in common Tenants by entirety Sole ownership Community property
Shall and will are two of the English modal verbs. They have various uses, including the expression of propositions about the future, in what is usually referred to as the future tense of English.
Historically, prescriptive grammar stated that, when expressing pure futurity (without any additional meaning such as desire or command), shall was to be used when the subject was in the first person, and will in other cases (e.g., «On Sunday, we shall go to church, and the preacher will read the Bible.») This rule is no longer commonly adhered to by any group of English speakers, and will has essentially replaced shall in nearly all contexts.
Shall is, however, still widely used in bureaucratic documents, especially documents written by lawyers. Owing to heavy misuse, its meaning can be ambiguous and the United States government’s Plain Language group advises writers not to use the word at all.[1] Other legal drafting experts, including Plain Language advocates, argue that while shall can be ambiguous in statutes (which most of the cited litigation on the word’s interpretation involves), court rules, and consumer contracts, that reasoning does not apply to the language of business contracts.[2] These experts recommend using shall but only to impose an obligation on a contractual party that is the subject of the sentence, i.e., to convey the meaning «hereby has a duty to.»[2][3][4][5][6][7]
EtymologyEdit
The verb shall derives from Old English sceal. Its cognates in other Germanic languages include Old Norse skal, German soll, and Dutch zal; these all represent *skol-, the o-grade of Indo-European *skel-. All of these verbs function as auxiliaries, representing either simple futurity, or necessity or obligation.
The verb will derives from Old English willan, meaning to want or wish. Cognates include Old Norse vilja, German wollen (ich/er/sie will, meaning I/he/she want/s to), Dutch willen, Gothic wiljan. It also has relatives in non-Germanic languages, such as Latin velle («wish for») and voluptas («pleasure»), and Polish woleć («prefer»). All of these forms derive from the e-grade or o-grade of Indo-European *wel-, meaning to wish for or desire. Within English, the modal verb will is also related to the noun will and the regular lexical verb will (as in «She willed him on»).
Early Germanic did not inherit any Proto-Indo-European forms to express the future tense, and so the Germanic languages have innovated by using auxiliary verbs to express the future (this is evidenced in Gothic and in the earliest recorded Germanic expressions). In English, shall and will are the auxiliaries that came to be used for this purpose. (Another one used as such in Old English was mun, which is related to Scots maun, Modern English must and Dutch moet)
Derived forms and pronunciationEdit
Both shall and will come from verbs that had the preterite-present conjugation in Old English (and generally in Germanic), meaning that they were conjugated using the strong preterite form (i.e. the usual past tense form) as the present tense. Because of this, like the other modal verbs, they do not take the usual -s in Modern English’s third-person singular present; we say she shall and he will – not *she shalls, and not *he wills (except in the sense of «to will» being a synonym of «to want» or «to write into a will»). Archaically, there were however the variants shalt and wilt, which were used with thou.
Both verbs also have their own preterite (past) forms, namely should and would, which derive from the actual preterites of the Old English verbs (made using the dental suffix that forms the preterites of weak verbs). These forms have developed a range of meanings, frequently independent of those of shall and will (as described in the section on should and would below). Aside from this, though, shall and will (like the other modals) are defective verbs – they do not have other grammatical forms such as infinitives, imperatives or participles. (For instance, I want to will eat something or He’s shalling go to sleep do not exist.)
Both shall and will may be contracted to -’ll, most commonly in affirmative statements where they follow a subject pronoun. Their negations, shall not and will not, also have contracted forms: shan’t and won’t (although shan’t is rarely used in North America, and is becoming rarer elsewhere too). See English auxiliaries and contractions.
The pronunciation of will is , and that of won’t is . However shall has distinct weak and strong pronunciations: when unstressed, and when stressed. Shan’t is pronounced in England, New Zealand, South Africa etc.; in North America (if used) it is pronounced , and both forms are acceptable in Australia (due to the unique course of the trap–bath split).
Specific uses of shall or willEdit
The modal verbs shall and will have been used in the past, and continue to be used, in a variety of meanings.[8] Although when used purely as future markers they are largely interchangeable (as will be discussed in the following sections), each of the two verbs also has certain specific uses in which it cannot be replaced by the other without change of meaning.
The most common specific use of shall in everyday English is in questions that serve as offers or suggestions: «Shall I …?» or «Shall we …?» These are discussed under § Questions below.
In statements, shall has the specific use of expressing an order or instruction, normally in elevated or formal register. This use can blend with the usage of shall to express futurity, and is therefore discussed in detail below under § Colored uses.
Will (but not shall) is used to express habitual action, often (but not exclusively) action that the speaker finds annoying:
- He will bite his nails, whatever I say.
- He will often stand on his head.
Similarly, will is used to express something that can be expected to happen in a general case, or something that is highly likely at the present time:
- A coat will last two years when properly cared for.
- That will be Mo at the door.
The other main specific implication of will is to express willingness, desire or intention. This blends with its usage in expressing futurity, and is discussed under § Colored uses. For its use in questions about the future, see § Questions.
Uses of shall and will in expressing futurityEdit
Both shall and will can be used to mark a circumstance as occurring in future time; this construction is often referred to as the future tense of English. For example:
- Will they be here tomorrow?
- I shall grow old some day.
- Shall we go for dinner?
When will or shall directly governs the infinitive of the main verb, as in the above examples, the construction is called the simple future. Future marking can also be combined with aspectual marking to produce constructions known as future progressive («He will be working»), future perfect («He will have worked») and future perfect progressive («He will have been working»). English also has other ways of referring to future circumstances, including the going to construction, and in many cases the ordinary present tense – details of these can be found in the article on the going-to future.
The verbs will and shall, when used as future markers, are largely interchangeable with regard to literal meaning. Generally, however, will is far more common than shall. Use of shall is normally a marked usage, typically indicating formality and/or seriousness and (if not used with a first person subject) expressing a colored meaning as described below. In most dialects of English, the use of shall as a future marker is viewed as archaic.[9]
Will is ambiguous in first-person statements, and shall is ambiguous in second- and third-person statements. A rule of prescriptive grammar was created to remove these ambiguities, but it requires that the hearer or reader understand the rule followed by the speaker or writer, which is usually not the case. According to this rule, when expressing futurity and nothing more, the auxiliary shall is to be used with first person subjects (I and we), and will is to be used in other instances. Using will with the first person or shall with the second or third person is asserted to indicate some additional meaning in addition to plain futurity. In practice, however, this rule is not observed – the two auxiliaries are used interchangeably, with will being far more common than shall. This is discussed in more detail in the following sections.
Prescriptivist distinctionEdit
According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage,[10] the distinction between shall and will as future markers arose from the practice of Latin teaching in English schools in the 14th century. It was customary to use will to translate the Latin velle (meaning to wish, want or intend); this left shall (which had no other equivalent in Latin) to translate the Latin future tense. This practice kept shall alive in the role of future marker; it is used consistently as such in the Middle English Wycliffe’s Bible. However, in the common language it was will that was becoming predominant in that role. Chaucer normally uses will to indicate the future, regardless of grammatical person.
An influential proponent of the prescriptive rule that shall is to be used as the usual future marker in the first person was John Wallis. In Grammatica Linguae Anglicanae (1653) he wrote: «The rule is […] to express a future event without emotional overtones, one should say I shall, we shall, but you/he/she/they will; conversely, for emphasis, willfulness, or insistence, one should say I/we will, but you/he/she/they shall».
Henry Watson Fowler wrote in his book The King’s English (1906), regarding the rules for using shall vs. will, the comment «the idiomatic use, while it comes by nature to southern Englishmen … is so complicated that those who are not to the manner born can hardly acquire it». The Pocket Fowler’s Modern English Usage, OUP, 2002, says of the rule for the use of shall and will: «it is unlikely that this rule has ever had any consistent basis of authority in actual usage, and many examples of [British] English in print disregard it».
Nonetheless, even among speakers (the majority) who do not follow the rule about using shall as the unmarked form in the first person, there is still a tendency to use shall and will to express different shades of meaning (reflecting aspects of their original Old English senses). Thus shall is used with the meaning of obligation, and will with the meaning of desire or intention.
An illustration of the supposed contrast between shall and will (when the prescriptive rule is adhered to) appeared in the 19th century,[11] and has been repeated in the 20th century[12] and in the 21st:[13]
- I shall drown; no one will save me! (expresses the expectation of drowning, simple expression of future occurrence)
- I will drown; no one shall save me! (expresses suicidal intent: first-person will for desire, third-person shall for «command»)
An example of this distinction in writing occurs in Henry James’s 1893 short story The Middle Years:
- «Don’t you know?—I want to what they call ‘live.'»
- The young man, for good-by, had taken his hand, which closed with a certain force. They looked at each other hard a moment. «You will live,» said Dr. Hugh.
- «Don’t be superficial. It’s too serious!»
- «You shall live!» Dencombe’s visitor declared, turning pale.
- «Ah, that’s better!» And as he retired the invalid, with a troubled laugh, sank gratefully back.[14]
A more popular illustration of the use of «shall» with the second person to express determination occurs in the oft-quoted words the fairy godmother traditionally says to Cinderella in British versions of the well-known fairy tale: «You shall go to the ball, Cinderella!»
Another popular illustration is in the dramatic scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring when Gandalf checks the Balrog’s advance with magisterial censure, «You shall not pass!»
The use of shall as the usual future marker[dubious – discuss] in the first person nevertheless persists in some more formal or elevated registers of English. An example is provided by the famous speech of Winston Churchill: «We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.'»
Colored usesEdit
Example of shall in the lead editorial of the Chicago Tribune after the Chicago Fire, using «shall» to connote formality and seriousness.
Whether or not the above-mentioned prescriptive rule (shall for the unmarked future in the first person) is adhered to, there are certain meanings in which either will or shall tends to be used rather than the other. Some of these have already been mentioned (see the Specific uses section). However, there are also cases in which the meaning being expressed combines plain futurity with some additional implication; these can be referred to as «colored» uses of the future markers.
Thus shall may be used (particularly in the second and third persons) to imply a command, promise or threat made by the speaker (i.e. that the future event denoted represents the will of the speaker rather than that of the subject). For example:
- You shall regret it before long. (speaker’s threat)
- You shall not pass! (speaker’s command)
- You shall go to the ball. (speaker’s promise)
In the above sentences, shall might be replaced by will without change of intended meaning, although the form with will could also be interpreted as a plain statement about the expected future. The use of shall is often associated with formality and/or seriousness, in addition to the coloring of the meaning. For some specific cases of its formal use, see the sections below on § Legal use and § Technical specifications.
(Another, generally archaic, use of shall is in certain dependent clauses with future reference, as in «The prize is to be given to whoever shall have done the best.» More normal here in modern English is the simple present tense: «whoever does the best»; see Uses of English verb forms § Dependent clauses.)
On the other hand, will can be used (in the first person) to emphasize the willingness, desire or intention of the speaker:
- I will lend you £10,000 at 5% (the speaker is willing to make the loan, but it will not necessarily be made)
- I will have my way.
Most speakers have will as the future marker in any case, but when the meaning is as above, even those who follow or are influenced by the prescriptive rule would tend to use will (rather than the shall that they would use with a first person subject for the uncolored future).
The division of uses of will and shall is somewhat different in questions than in statements; see the following section for details.
QuestionsEdit
In questions, the traditional prescriptive usage is that the auxiliary used should be the one expected in the answer. Hence in enquiring factually about the future, one could ask: «Shall you accompany me?» (to accord with the expected answer «I shall», since the rule prescribes shall as the uncolored future marker in the first person). To use will instead would turn the question into a request. In practice, however, shall is almost never used in questions of this type. To mark a factual question as distinct from a request, the going-to future (or just the present tense) can be used: «Are you going to accompany me?» (or «Are you accompanying me?»).
The chief use of shall in questions is with a first person subject (I or we), to make offers and suggestions, or request suggestions or instructions:
- Shall I open a window?
- Shall we dance?
- Where shall we go today?
- What shall I do next?
This is common in the UK and other parts of the English-speaking world; it is also found in the United States, but there should is often a less marked alternative. Normally the use of will in such questions would change the meaning to a simple request for information: «Shall I play goalkeeper?» is an offer or suggestion, while «Will I play goalkeeper?» is just a question about the expected future situation.
The above meaning of shall is generally confined to direct questions with a first person subject. In the case of a reported question (even if not reported in the past tense), shall is likely to be replaced by should or another modal verb such as might: «She is asking if she should open a window»; «He asked if they might dance.»
The auxiliary will can therefore be used in questions either simply to enquire about what is expected to occur in the future, or (especially with the second person subject you) to make a request:
- Where will tomorrow’s match be played? (factual enquiry)
- Will the new director do a good job? (enquiry for opinion)
- Will you marry me? (request)
Legal and technical useEdit
US legal systemEdit
Bryan Garner and Justice Scalia in Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts describe that some legal drafting has sloppy use of the word «shall».[15]: 1808 Nevertheless, Garner and Scalia conclude that when the word «shall» can reasonably be understood as mandatory, it ought to be taken that way.[15]: 1849 In 2007 the U.S. Supreme Court said («The word `shall’ generally indicates a command that admits of no discretion on the part of the person instructed to carry out the directive»); Black’s Law Dictionary 1375 (6th ed. 1990) («As used in statutes … this word is generally imperative or mandatory»).[16]
Legislative acts and contracts sometimes use «shall» and «shall not» to express mandatory action and prohibition. However, it is sometimes used to mean «may» or «can». The most famous example of both of these uses of the word «shall» is the United States Constitution. Claims that «shall» is used to denote a fact, or is not used with the above different meanings, have caused discussions and have significant consequences for interpreting the text’s intended meaning.[17] Lawsuits over the word’s meaning are also common.[1]
Technical contextsEdit
In many requirement specifications, particularly involving software, the words shall and will have special meanings. Most requirement specifications use the word shall to denote something that is required, while reserving the will for simple statement about the future (especially since «going to» is typically seen as too informal for legal contexts). However, some documents deviate from this convention and use the words shall, will, and should to denote the strength of the requirement. Some requirement specifications will define the terms at the beginning of the document.
Shall and will are distinguished by NASA[18] and Wikiversity[19] as follows:
- Shall is usually used to state a device or system’s requirements. For example: «The selected generator shall provide a minimum of 80 Kilowatts.»
- Will is generally used to state a device or system’s purpose. For example, «The new generator will be used to power the operations tent.»
On standards published by International Organization for Standardization (ISO), IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), requirements with «shall» are the mandatory requirements, meaning, «must», or «have to».[20] The IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) defines shall and must as synonymous terms denoting absolute requirements, and should as denoting a somewhat flexible requirement, in RFC documents.[21]
On specifications and standards published by the United States Department of Defense (DoD), requirements with «shall» are the mandatory requirements. (“Must” shall not be used to express mandatory provisions. Use the term “shall.”) “Will” declares intent or simple futurity, and “should” and “may” express nonmandatory provisions.[22][23][24]
Outside DoD, other parts of the U.S. government advise against using the word shall for three reasons: it lacks a single clear meaning, it causes litigation, and it is nearly absent from ordinary speech. The legal reference Words and Phrases dedicates 76 pages to summarizing hundreds of lawsuits that centered around the meaning of the word shall. When referencing a legal or technical requirement, Words and Phrases instead favors must while reserving should for recommendations.[1]
Should and wouldEdit
As noted above, should and would originated as the preterite (past tense) forms of shall and will. In some of their uses they can still be identified as past (or conditional) forms of those verbs, but they have also developed some specific meanings of their own.
Independent usesEdit
The main use of should in modern English is as a synonym of ought to, expressing quasi-obligation, appropriateness, or expectation (it cannot be replaced by would in these meanings). Examples:
- You should not say such things. (it is wrong to do so)
- He should move his pawn. (it is appropriate to do so)
- Why should you suspect me? (for what reason is it proper to suspect me?)
- You should have enough time to finish the work. (a prediction)
- I should be able to come. (a prediction, implies some uncertainty)
- There should be some cheese in the kitchen. (expectation)
Other specific uses of should involve the expression of irrealis mood:
- in condition clauses (protasis), e.g. «If it should rain» or «Should it rain»; see English conditional sentences
- as an alternative to the subjunctive, e.g. «It is important that he (should) leave»; see English subjunctive
The main use of would is in conditional clauses (described in detail in the article on English conditional sentences):
- I would not be here if you hadn’t summoned me.
In this use, would is sometimes (though rarely) replaced by should when the subject is in the first person (by virtue of the same prescriptive rule that demands shall rather than will as the normal future marker for that person). This should is found in stock phrases such as «I should think» and «I should expect». However its use in more general cases is old-fashioned or highly formal, and can give rise to ambiguity with the more common use of should to mean ought to. This is illustrated by the following sentences:
- You would apologize if you saw him. (pure conditional, stating what would happen)
- You should apologize if you see him. (states what would be proper)
- I would apologize if I saw him. (pure conditional)
- I should apologize if I saw him. (possibly a formal variant of the above, but may be understood to be stating what is proper)
In archaic usage would has been used to indicate present time desire. «Would that I were dead» means «I wish I were dead». «I would fain» means «I would gladly».
More details of the usage of should, would and other related auxiliaries can be found in the article on English modal verbs.
As past of shall and willEdit
When would and should function as past tenses of will and shall, their usage tends to correspond to that of the latter verbs (would is used analogously to will, and should to shall).
Thus would and should can be used with «future-in-the-past» meaning, to express what was expected to happen, or what in fact did happen, after some past time of reference. The use of should here (like that of shall as a plain future marker) is much less common and is generally confined to the first person. Examples:
- He left Bath in 1890, and would never return. (in fact he never returned after that)
- It seemed that it would rain. (rain was expected)
- Little did I know that I would (rarer: should) see her again the very next day.
Would can also be used as the past equivalent of will in its other specific uses, such as in expressing habitual actions (see English markers of habitual aspect#Would):
- Last summer we would go fishing a lot. (i.e. we used to go fishing a lot)
In particular, would and should are used as the past equivalents of will and shall in indirect speech reported in the past tense:
- The ladder will fall. → He said that the ladder would fall.
- You shall obey me! → He said that I should obey him.
- I shall go swimming this afternoon. → I said that I should go swimming in the afternoon.
As with the conditional use referred to above, the use of should in such instances can lead to ambiguity; in the last example it is not clear whether the original statement was shall (expressing plain future) or should (meaning «ought to»). Similarly «The archbishop said that we should all sin from time to time» is intended to report the pronouncement that «We shall all sin from time to time» (where shall denotes simple futurity), but instead gives the highly misleading impression that the original word was should (meaning «ought to»).
See alsoEdit
- English verbs
- Grammatical person
- Verbs in English Grammar (wikibook)
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b c «Shall and must». plainlanguage.gov. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
- ^ a b Kenneth Adams, «Making Sense of ‘Shall'», New York Law Journal, October 18, 2007.
- ^ Chadwick C. Busk, «Using Shall or Will to Create Obligations in Business Contracts», Michigan Bar Journal, pp. 50-52, October 2017.
- ^ «Basic Concepts in Drafting Contracts», presented by Vincent R. Martorana to the New York State Bar Association, December 10, 2014 (via Reed Smith University).
- ^ http://apps.americanbar.org/buslaw/newsletter/0052/materials/pp3.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- ^ https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1162&context=transactions
- ^ https://www.law.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Tips-for-Achieving-Clarity-in-Contract-Drafting.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- ^ Many of the examples are taken from Fowler, H. W. (1908). The King’s English (2nd ed.). Chapter II. Syntax — Shall and Will. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
- ^ Crystal, David, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, pages 194 and 224, Cambridge Press Syndicate, New York, NY 1995 ISBN 0-521-40179-8
- ^ Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, Merriam-Webster, 1989, ISBN 0-87779-132-5
- ^ «Reade and Collins». The Virginia University Magazine. 1871. p. 367.
- ^ Allen, Edward Frank (1938). How to write and speak effective English: a modern guide to good form. The World Syndicate Publishing Company.
«I will drown, no one shall save me!»).
- ^ Graham, Ian (2008). Requirements modelling and specification for service oriented architecture. p. /79. ISBN 9780470712320.
- ^ Henry James. The Middle Years.
- ^ a b Scalia, Antonin; Garner, Bryan A. (2012). «11. Mandatory/Permissive Canon». Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts (Kindle ed.). St. Paul, MN: Thomson West. ISBN 978-0-314-27555-4.
- ^ National Ass’n v. Defenders of Wildlife, 127 S. Ct. 2518, 2531-2532 (US 2007)..
- ^ Tillman, Nora Rotter; Tillman, Seth Barrett (2010). «A Fragment on Shall and May«. American Journal of Legal History. 50 (4): 453–458. doi:10.1093/ajlh/50.4.453. SSRN 1029001.
- ^ NASA document Archived December 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ «Writing Clear Requirements», in Technical writing specification, Wikiversity
- ^ «ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2» (PDF). Retrieved 2013-03-28.
- ^ «RFC 2119». Retrieved 2013-03-28.
- ^ «Defense and Program-Unique Specifications Format and Content, MIL-STD-961». 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
- ^ «Defense Standards Format and Content, MIL-STD-962». 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
- ^ «Writing Specifications». Retrieved 2018-05-15.
External linksEdit
Look up will in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Look up shall in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- On the Use of the Verbs shall and will. By Professor De Morgan
- On the Use of Shall and Will. By Hensleigh Wedgwood, Esq.
- «Shall and Will». Fowler, H. W. 1908. The King’s English — thorough discussion on the subject
- Complete descriptions of the English Tenses
- Webster 1913 — Entry for Shall
- «The Origins of some Prescriptive Grammar Rules» — quoting The Origins and Development of the English Language, Pyles and Algeo, 1993
- The Rise of Prescriptivism in English (PDF format)
_As thou hast come with unreasonable pride between the_ sentence _which I had passed, and the_ power _by which I shall execute it_, take thy reward _in another sentence which shall_ make good, _shall establish, shall maintain_, that power. ❋ Samuel Johnson (1746)
The Twenty-third Psalm begins, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want, and a passage in the Book of Isaiah says that God shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm. ❋ Unknown (2002)
: _And kings shall be thy nursing-fathers, and queens_, i.e., commonwealths, _shall be thy nursing-mothers_, i.e., of the Church, they shall afford lodgings to churches and pious studies. ❋ Unknown (N/A)
«You shall go to the theatre if you want to,» he remarked at last, in that sweet, protecting way peculiar to his class from the habitual confounding of _can, shall_ and _will_, and that put us into good humor directly. ❋ Various (N/A)
‘But I shall let her see!’ replied the perverse girl; ‘and I _shall_ tell her so, too — see if I don’t,’ she added, nodding her head; though, when she came into the presence of that good lady, she had not a word to say for herself, such a charm is there in the manner of some people to overawe presumption. ❋ Mrs. Perring (N/A)
«But oh, father, what shall I do! what _shall_ I do!» ❋ Ann S. Stephens (N/A)
«The strangers shall be joined with them (the Israelites) and _they shall_ CLEAVE to the house of Jacob, and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord, for servants and handmaids.» ❋ American Anti-Slavery Society (N/A)
I shall not come alone next time, but with fifty men; and you _shall_ be overpowered and feel the weight of my vengeance! ❋ Alvin Addison (N/A)
The_ Sun _hence forth shall take my Coin, the_ Moon _shall go without_. ❋ William Winstanley (N/A)
Ask to be made a true follower of the Lord Jesus, and you will be guided aright, and we _shall_ meet then in that bright land where all shall rejoice together who have, by grace, fought the fight and won the victory here. ❋ T.P. Wilson (N/A)
«Oh, what shall I do — what _shall_ I do!» was the continual inner cry. ❋ Mary E. Waller (N/A)
With the first person _shall_ is used in direct statement to express a simple future action; as, «I shall go to the city to-morrow.» ❋ Joseph Devlin (N/A)
Thus literally, in accordance with the prophecy, «_Japheth will be enlarged, he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, and Canaan_ (the negro) _shall be his servant_.» ❋ E. N. [Editor] Elliott (N/A)
«Oh, Ellen, what shall I do; oh, what _shall_ I do! perhaps my baby, my darling, is going to be very ill.» ❋ Unknown (N/A)
«What shall I do — oh, what _shall_ I do!» was her hopeless unuttered cry. ❋ Mary E. Waller (N/A)
«With violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and _shall be found no more at all_.» ❋ Unknown (1913)
Their dust shall turn to dust, shall moulder with the sod, ❋ Unknown (1909)
If you tell me that I have lost my intellects, what in the world shall I do _then_ — what _shall_ ❋ Unknown (1907)
And if no work is to be had, I shall arrange that every indigent person that is honest and industrious _shall be given employment by the Federal, State, County or Municipal Government as the case may be. ❋ Edward Mandell House (1898)
This service was [atrocious]! We shan’t be [coming back] here again! ❋ Zalis (2004)
By ‘shall,’ [do you] [mean] ‘may’ or ‘will’? ❋ BillieJeanIsNotMyLover (2018)
sink.
«Dude, we wanted to go to lunch 20 [mins] ago, what took so long?»
«Sorry, I got [shalled], [the guy next to me] took forever to wipe his ass.» ❋ Kj9999 (2016)
I [shall] [fuck] [my mum] ❋ MayaMarriott (2017)
[Yo] does [Ayden] have [Challs] or Shalls? ❋ Angler48 (2019)
[Fulcrum] come in YUUUUUUUUUH [YODIE GANG]! Shall we? Cheers my friends I’m [faded than a ho] . ❋ EMMEID (2022)
ok guys [we got] a go (and you tell [to you] friend) shall we? ([ready] to go?) ❋ Dassan (2014)
[Person 1] -Shall we?
[Person 2] -We [shall]! ❋ Darkness79 (2016)
He’s [got] [major] hallow shall [syndrome]. ❋ MichBeast (2014)
«[Damn you] [vile] [woman]! Victory shall be mine!». ❋ MiasmaMan (2012)
auxiliary verb
1
a
—used to express what is inevitable or seems likely to happen in the future
we shall have to be readywe shall see
b
—used to express simple futurity
2
—used to express determination
3
a
—used to express a command or exhortation
b
—used in laws, regulations, or directives to express what is mandatory
it shall be unlawful to carry firearms
4
archaic
b
: will be able to : can
intransitive verb
archaic
: will go
he to England shall along with you—William Shakespeare
Shall vs. Will: Usage Guide
From the reams of pronouncements written about the distinction between shall and will—dating back as far as the 17th century—it is clear that the rules laid down have never very accurately reflected actual usage. The nationalistic statements of 18th and 19th century British grammarians, who commonly cited the misuses of the Irish, the Scots, and occasionally the Americans, suggest that the traditional rules may have come closest to the usage of southern England. Some modern commentators believe that English usage is still the closest to the traditionally prescribed norms. Most modern commentators allow that will is more common in nearly all uses. The entries for shall and will in this dictionary show current usage.
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
My answer is: That leader shall stick with their principles.
—Alla Adam, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023
Firms with over 10 employees shall be required to consult their employees or trade unions when formulating their out-of-work policies.
—Faustine Ngila, Quartz, 26 Jan. 2023
At least until this latest lawsuit winds its way through the legal system, the foie gras wars shall continue.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2023
If a commercial entity or third party performs a reasonable age verification, the commercial entity shall not retain any identifying information of the individual after access to the material has been granted under Senate Bill 66.
—Michael R. Wickline, Arkansas Online, 18 Jan. 2023
Ask and ye shall receive: here, the perfect classic evening bags, from collectible pieces from Chanel and Saint Laurent, and Bottega Veneta, to pieces worn by royals.
—Roxanne Adamiyatt, Town & Country, 9 Jan. 2023
If multiple individuals are entitled to receive a reward, the same shall be paid pro rata, meaning the total amount to be paid on each reward is $7,500.
—Sarah Portney, NBC News, 31 Dec. 2022
Whatever your personal feelings on Kardashian (all of which are certainly valid), there’s no doubt that her ongoing divorce proceedings from the ex-husband-who-shall-not-be-named have made 2022 more stressful than average.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 20 Dec. 2022
When a puck is batted to an opponent, play shall continue.
—Dallas News, 17 Dec. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘shall.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English shal (1st & 3rd singular present indicative), from Old English sceal; akin to Old High German scal (1st & 3rd singular present indicative) ought to, must, Lithuanian skola debt
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4a
Time Traveler
The first known use of shall was
before the 12th century
Dictionary Entries Near shall
Cite this Entry
“Shall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shall. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- shal (obsolete)
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English schal (infinitive schulen), from Old English sċeal (infinitive sċulan (“should, must”)), from Proto-West Germanic *skulan, from Proto-Germanic *skal (infinitive *skulaną), from Proto-Indo-European *skel- (“to owe, be under obligation”).
Cognate with Scots sall, sal (“shall”), West Frisian sil (infinitive sille (“shall”)), Dutch zal (infinitive zullen (“shall”)), Low German schall (infinitive schölen (“shall”)), German soll (infinitive sollen (“ought to”)), Danish skal (infinitive skulle (“shall”)), Icelandic skal (infinitive skulu (“shall”)), Afrikaans sal.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (stressed) IPA(key): /ˈʃæl/
-
Audio (US; stressed) (file)
-
- (unstressed) IPA(key): /ʃəl/, (pre-consonantal only) /ʃ(ə)/
-
Audio (US; unstressed) (file)
-
- Rhymes: -æl (when stressed)
Verb[edit]
shall (third-person singular simple present shall, no present participle, simple past (archaic) should, no past participle) (modal, auxiliary verb, defective)
- Used before a verb to indicate the simple future tense in the first person singular or plural.
-
I shall sing in the choir tomorrow.
-
I hope that we shall win the game.
-
1900 May 17, L[yman] Frank Baum, chapter 23, in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Geo[rge] M. Hill Co., →OCLC:
-
«Then, having used up the powers of the Golden Cap, I shall give it to the King of the Monkeys, that he and his band may thereafter be free for evermore.»
-
-
- Used similarly to indicate determination or obligation in the second and third persons singular or plural.
- (determination): You shall go to the ball!
- (obligation): Citizens shall provide proof of identity.
- Used in questions with the first person singular or plural to suggest a possible future action.
- Shall I help you with that?
- Shall we go out later?
- Let us examine that, shall we?
- (obsolete) To owe.
- (Can we add an example for this sense?)
Usage notes[edit]
- Shall is about one-fourth as common as will in North America compared to in the United Kingdom. Lack of exposure leads many in North America to consider it formal or even pompous or archaic, best reserved for court decisions and legal contracts. North Americans mainly use it in senses two and three.
- In law, shall is typically used to impose obligation, though the word can also convey discretionary power or recommendation. Due to its ambiguity, some jurisdictions refrain from using the term in law drafting and official writing.[1][2]
- In the past, will and shall were interchangeable and synonymous, used similarly as auxiliary verbs for the future tense but separate persons. The simple future tense traditionally used shall for the first person (”I” and “we”), and will for the second and third persons. This distinction existed largely in formal language and gradually disappeared in Early Modern English.
- I shall go.
- You will go.
- An emphatic future tense, indicating volition of the speaker — determination, promise, obligation, or permission, depending on the context-, reverses the two words, using will for the first person and shall for the second and third person.
- I will go.
- You shall go.
- Usage can be reversed in questions and in dependent clauses—especially with indirect discourse. For example: Shall you do it? anticipates the response I shall do it. Or: he says that he shall win or he expects that he shall win anticipate his saying I shall win, not I will win.
Derived terms[edit]
- shalbe
- shalt
- shalln’t
- shan’t
Descendants[edit]
- Sranan Tongo: sa
Translations[edit]
indicating the simple future tense
- Dutch: zullen (nl)
- Finnish: Use the present tense or use personal olla + present active participle
- I shall sing tomorrow — Laulan huomenna or Olen laulava huomenna (literary or formal)
- French: shall followed by the infinitive is translated using the future tense
- I shall sing tomorrow — Je chanterai demain
- German: sollen (de)
- Italian: shall followed by the infinitive is translated using the future tense
- I shall sing tomorrow — Canterò domani
- Malay: akan (ms)
- Norwegian: skal (no)
- Old English: sculan
- Old Saxon: skulan
- Polish: powinno się (pl)
- Portuguese: Use the future tense of the verb or present indicative of ir + the infinitive or the verb «haver de» in the present + infinitive
- Russian: Use the future perfective or use the future of быть (bytʹ) + imperfective infinitive
- I will go to the post office — Я пойду́ на по́чту
- I will be going to the post office — Я бу́ду идти́ на по́чту
- I will be going back and forth to the post office — Я буду ходи́ть на по́чту
- Slovak: Use the future perfective or use the future of byť + imperfective infinitive
- Spanish: shall followed by the infinitive is translated using the future tense
- I shall sing tomorrow — Cantaré mañana
- Swedish: skola (sv)
- West Frisian: sille
indicating determination or obligation
- Esperanto: -u (eo)
- Finnish: use genitive + impersonal olla + present active participle or use genitive + tulee/täytyy/pitää + first infinitive
- You shall go to the ball! — Sinun on mentävä juhlaan! or Sinun pitää mennä juhlaan!
- Citizens shall provide identity — Kansalaisten on esitettävä henkilöllisyytensä or Kansalaisten tulee esittää henkilöllisyytensä
- French: (indicating determination) shall followed by the infinitive is translated using the future tense, which can be emphasised using «bien» or a similar adverbial construction; (indicating obligation) devoir, être obligé de
- You shall go to the ball! — Mais tu iras bien au bal! or Ah oui, tu iras au bal!
- Citizens shall provide identity — Les citoyens doivent fournir une pièce d’identité or Les citoyens sont obligés de fournir une pièce d’identité
- Gothic: 𐍃𐌺𐌿𐌻𐌰𐌽 (skulan)
- Italian: (indicating determination) shall followed by the infinitive is translated using the future tense, which can be emphasised using «sì che» or a similar adverbial construction; (indicating obligation) dovere, essere obbligato di
- You shall go to the ball! — Sì che andrai al ballo!
- Citizens shall provide identity — I cittadini devono fornire identificazione or I cittadini sono obbligati a fornire identificazione
- Korean: 야 되다 (ko) (-ya doeda), 야 하다 (ko) (-ya hada)
- Latin: debeo (la)
- Norwegian: skulle (no)
- Portuguese: dever (pt), precisar (pt)
- Russian: (predicative) до́лжен (ru) m (dólžen), должна́ (ru) f (dolžná), должно́ (ru) m (dolžnó), должны́ (ru) pl (dolžný)
- Swedish: böra (sv)
in questions to suggest a possible future action
- Finnish: use conditional tense + -ko
- Shall we go out later? — Menisimmekö (yhdessä) ulos myöhemmin?
- French: shall followed by the infinitive is translated by si and the imperfect tense, or, informally, without si and with the present tense
- Shall we go out later? — Si nous sortions plus tard? or Sortons plus tard?
- Italian: shall followed by the infinitive is translated by the present tense
- Shall we go out later? — Usciamo più tardi?
- Japanese: ようか (ja) (-yōka), ましょうか (-mashōka)
- Korean: ᆯ까 (-lkka), ᆯ까요 (-lkkayo)
- Norwegian: skulle (no)
- Portuguese: Use the imperative tense of the verb or present indicative of ir + the infinitive
- Swedish: skola (sv)
See also[edit]
- ought
- should
- will
- Appendix:English modal verbs
- Appendix:English tag questions
References[edit]
- shall at OneLook Dictionary Search
- “shall”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- ^ Law Drafting Division, Department of Justice (2012) Drafting Legislation in Hong Kong — A Guide to Styles and Practices[1], page 90: “LDD no longer uses “shall” to impose an obligation or its negative forms to impose a prohibition. Moreover, it is not used for any other purpose for which it had been used.”
- ^ Plain Language Action and Information Network (2011) Federal Plain Language Guidelines[2], page 25: “Besides being outdated, “shall” is imprecise. It can indicate either an obligation or a prediction. Dropping “shall” is a major step in making your document more user-friendly.”
Anagrams[edit]
- Halls, halls
Albanian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Ottoman Turkish شال (şal).
Noun[edit]
shall m (indefinite plural shalle, definite singular shalli, definite plural shallet)
- shawl
- scarf
Yola[edit]
Verb[edit]
shall
- Alternative form of shell
-
1867, “CASTEALE CUDDE’S LAMENTATION”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 1:
-
To fho shall ich maake mee redress?
- To whom shall I make my redress?
-
-
References[edit]
- Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 102
Jyoti Sagar
“Shall” is an interesting and peculiar word. Why would I describe a five-letter, commonplace, monosyllabic word like that?
Shall is a peculiar word because it is the most frequently used modal verb in legal drafting.
In English grammar, shall is one of the “modal verbs” (also called “helping verbs”) like can, will, could, shall, must, would, might, and should. The purpose of a modal verb is to add meaning to the main verb in a sentence by expressing possibility, ability, permission, or obligation. For example, “You must complete this task on time”; “He might be the inspiration for my life”; “The doctor can see you now”. “Shall” is an interesting word because in ordinary English, it is the least used modal verb. The most common ones are will, may, can, should, and would.
“Shall” dominates legal drafting
Usage of ‘shall’ in English-speaking
For long, shall has been a favourite of lawyers. Its use in legislation and in legal documents is all pervasive. As a young lawyer, one of the first things drilled into me was that “shall” is the most important modal verb to refer to future action and is the word to be used when imposing a mandatory obligation. So, I was told to imagine substitution of “shall” in a sentence with the words “has a duty to”. For example, “the Company shall deliver 100 widgets within 90 days”, indicates the intent that — “the Company has a duty to deliver …”. It read perfect.
But many a time, this yardstick did not work, as the intended meaning got distorted, and confused. For example, if the substitution rule is applied in the sentence: “The employee shall be reimbursed all expenses”, you would get: “The employee has a duty to be reimbursed all expenses”. This created ambiguity for the simple reason that the intent appeared to state an entitlement of the employee and not to impose a duty on the employee. To correctly state the intent, the sentence could simply have read “The employee is entitled to the reimbursement of expenses”.
Take a typical governing clause in an agreement which typically reads: “This Agreement shall be governed by the law of India.” If “shall” is considered to mean “has a duty to”, the sentence would read: “This Agreement has a duty to be governed by the law of India.” The intended meaning is not to impose any obligation, but it is to state a fact. When I questioned why we would not simply say “This Agreement is governed by the law of India”? I was told to just follow the rule – shall is king!
“Shall” is used indiscriminately in legal drafting
From a modest beginning in legal drafting as a modal verb describing a mandatory obligation of the subject (the person performing the action of the sentence), shall rapidly spreads like a dreaded virus through indiscriminate use – in contexts different from just those which impose a duty. Here are some examples of different contexts in which “shall” is frequently used in language of the law:
-
To impose a duty (“The Company shall maintain quality standards…”)
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To grant a right (“The Buyer shall have the right to cancel the purchase transaction…”)
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To give a direction (“The shipment of the products from the port shall be deemed as delivery of the products to the purchaser.”)
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To negate a duty or discretion (“The Company shall not be required to produce copy of the specifications.”)
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To negate a right (“Such statement shall be deemed to be correct and shall be binding on the Applicant.”)
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To express intention (“The manufacturing plant when established shall be deemed to be part of the assets of the joint venture.”)
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To create a condition subsequent (“If the products shall not have been delivered on or before December 31, 2020, then this purchase order shall stand cancelled.”)
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To state or declare a fact (“Company shall mean ABC Limited.”)
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To express the future (“This Agreement shall terminate on the sale of the warehouse.”)
“Shall” changes its meaning more than a chameleon changes colour; thus, it has large potential to violate basic principles of drafting
Black’s Law Dictionary lists the following five meanings of shall:
shall, vb.
1. “Has a duty to; more broadly, is required to “the requester shall send notice” “notice shall be sent”. This is the mandatory sense that drafters typically intend and that courts typically uphold.
2. Should (as often interpreted by courts) “all claimants shall request mediation”.
3. May “no person shall enter the building without first signing the roster”. When a negative word such as not or no precedes shall (as in the example in angled bracket), the word shall often means may. What is being negated is permission, not a requirement.
4. Will (as a future tense verb) “the corporation shall then have a period of 30 days to object”.
5. Is entitled to “the secretary shall be reimbursed for all expenses”.
Two basic principles of drafting are:
(i) A word used repeatedly in a document is presumed to bear the same meaning throughout, and
(ii) avoid using the same word or term in more than one sense. When a word takes on too many senses and cannot be confined to one sense or meaning in a document, it becomes redundant to the drafter and to the reader .
To put it differently, a good draftsperson always expresses the same idea in the same way and always expresses different ideas differently. And she makes sure that each recurring word or term has been used consistently. With minor exceptions (that is where it is used to truly describe a duty of the first person subject of the verb), “shall” usage in the language of the law violates these basic principles.
Lawyer’s habit of “future tense” writing creates further confusion
Another peculiarity of legal writing is that lawyers tend to write in the future tense and liberally deploy shall for that purpose. Here are two typical “future tense” examples from an agreement:
“Company” shall mean ABC Limited, a company registered under …
If the Buyer shall learn that the Seller shall have leased the property ….
Shall here is used in the futurity context (note that if we apply the “has a duty to” rule – the text would become laughable. For example: “If Buyer has a duty to learn that the Seller has the duty to have leased the property…).
Written in present tense, we eliminate the shalls. In present tense, the text reads:
“Company” means ABC Limited, a company registered under …
If the Buyer learns that the Seller has leased the property ….
Why do lawyers not write in the present tense? One explanation is that the lawyer believes that she is writing for the future and therefore she should write about things as if they will occur in the future! But that is a wrong premise. The usual interpretation rule is that a document speaks constantly. And when a document is read in the future (for example, when its terms are being implemented), by that time the future will be then present! So, it makes more sense to draft in the present tense and get rid of unnecessary shalls which confuse the meaning.
Thus, contrary to lawyers’ belief, shall does not have a single firm meaning
Contrary to our belief, shall does not, even remotely, have a settled firm meaning. Because of its inconsistent use in contexts other than casting a duty, shall has been interpreted by the various courts to mean “must”, “should”, “will”, “may” or “is”.
Shall is one of the most corrupted and litigated words in the language of the law. Over 100 pages in the encyclopaedia of Words & Phrases are devoted to a summary of more than 1,300 precedents from common law jurisdictions interpreting shall! This misuse or abuse of shall extends to legislation and private legal documents in equal abundance.
Courts struggle to interpret shall
Courts from jurisdictions all over the common law world have struggled to interpret shall. Here are a few examples from the Supreme Court of India.
-
In State of UP v. Manbodhan Lal Srivastava, while examining the terms of Article 320, the Court observed,
“….the use of the word «shall» in a statute, though generally taken in a mandatory sense, does not necessarily mean that in every case it shall have that effect….”
-
In Khub Chand v. State of Rajasthan, the Court held:
“Doubtless, under certain circumstances, the expression «shall» is construed as «may». The term «shall» in its ordinary significance is mandatory … unless such an interpretation leads to some absurd or inconvenient consequences…..”
-
In State of Punjab v. Shamlal Murari, the Court opined:
“The use of “shall” – a word of slippery semantics – in a rule is not decisive…..»
Here are a few precedents of the US Supreme Court, some going back 150 years:
-
A legislative amendment from “shall” to “may” had no substantive effect. (Moore v. Illinois Central Railroad Company)
-
If the government bears the duty, the word “shall” when used in statutes is to be constructed as “may”, unless a contrary intention is manifest (Railroad Co v. Hecht)
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“Shall” means “must” for existing rights, but that it need not be construed as mandatory when a new right is created (West Wisconsin Railway Company v. Foley)
Shall is recognized as an ambiguous word and drafters are avoiding its use in many jurisdictions
Shall is an ambiguous and confusing word. Most of its usage in legal documents is inappropriate and imprecise. It is also not much used in contemporary language. Drafters in many common law jurisdictions are adopting “shall-less” style. Here are some examples of shall-less drafting from the United States of America, Australia, United Kingdom, and South Africa.
• US Federal Government’s Style Subcommittee decided to abandon ‘shall’
• US Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure and of Criminal Procedures have been restyled to be ‘shall-less’
• US Federal Rules of Civil Procedure restyled – without any shalls
• The restyled Federal Rules of Evidence became effective with no ‘shall’
The Plain English Manual released by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, Australia notes that while the traditional style uses ‘shall’ for the imperative, the word is ambiguous, as it can also be used to make a statement about the future. The Manual recommends:
• Use “must” or “must not” when imposing an obligation, instead of ‘shall’ or ‘shall not’
• If you feel the need to use a gentler form, say “is to” or “is not to”, but these are less direct and use more words.
• We shouldn’t feel any compunction in using “must” and “must not” when imposing obligations and prohibitions.
Joseph Kimble in A Modest Wish for Legal Writing
The Australian Corporation Tax Act, 2009 does not have ‘shall’ in its substantive provisions.
The UK Office of Parliamentary Counsel’s Drafting Techniques Group has a published policy on ‘shall’ which prescribes the minimum use of the legislative ‘shall’.
The rewritten South African Constitution is completely “shall less”. ‘Shall’ has been replaced by ‘must’ or by the present tense, wherever, ‘shall’ appeared as an expression of futurity in the earlier, interim Constitution.
Replacement of ‘shall’ in interim South African constitution
Let us banish shall from legal writing
Shall is an overworked, outdated, and largely misused word in legal writing and should be avoided. We lawyers will be hard put to use it correctly or consistently. It is best to dump it altogether in the heap of outdated words. Simple convention could be adopted where we use the correct and most appropriate modal verb in our writing. Further, writing in present tense helps. It also helps to revise the text to avoid use of shall. Here is the suggested way forward of using modal words other than shall and of avoiding use of shall in different contexts:
Avoiding use of ‘shall’
Why remain “shall” shocked? Make your writing crisper, clearer, and better by using a contextually more appropriate modal verb in place of the troubled and troublesome “shall. Try it.
The author is the Chairman & Founder of J Sagar Associates, Advocates & Solicitors.
shall
(shăl)
aux.v. Past tense should (sho͝od)
1. Used before a verb in the infinitive to show:
a. Something that will take place or exist in the future: We shall arrive tomorrow.
b. An order, promise, requirement, or obligation: You shall leave now. He shall answer for his misdeeds. The penalty shall not exceed two years in prison.
c. The will to do something or have something take place: I shall go out if I feel like it.
d. Something that is inevitable: That day shall come.
2. Archaic
a. To be able to.
b. To have to; must.
Usage Note: The traditional rules for using shall and will prescribe a highly complicated pattern of use in which the meanings of the forms change according to the person of the subject. In the first person, shall is used to indicate simple futurity: I shall (not will) have to buy another ticket. In the second and third persons, the same sense of futurity is expressed by will: The comet will (not shall) return in 87 years. You will (not shall) probably encounter some heavy seas when you round the point. The use of will in the first person and of shall in the second and third may express determination, promise, obligation, or permission, depending on the context. Thus I will leave tomorrow indicates that the speaker is determined to leave; You and she shall leave tomorrow is likely to be interpreted as a command. The sentence You shall have your money expresses a promise («I will see that you get your money»), whereas You will have your money makes a simple prediction. Such, at least, are the traditional rules. The English and some traditionalists about usage are probably the only people who follow these rules and then not with perfect consistency. In America, people who try to adhere to them run the risk of sounding pretentious or haughty. Americans normally use will to express most of the senses reserved for shall in English usage. Americans use shall chiefly in first person invitations and questions that request an opinion or agreement, such as Shall we go? and in certain fixed expressions, such as We shall overcome. In formal style, Americans use shall to express an explicit obligation, as in Applicants shall provide a proof of residence, though this sense is also expressed by must or should. In speech the distinction that the English signal by the choice of shall or will may be rendered by stressing the auxiliary, as in I will leave tomorrow («I intend to leave»); by choosing another auxiliary, such as must or have to; or by using an adverb such as certainly. · In addition to its sense of obligation, shall can also convey high moral seriousness that derives in part from its extensive use in the King James Bible, as in «Righteousness shall go before him and shall set us in the way of his steps» (Ps 85:13) and «He that shall humble himself shall be exalted» (Mt 23:12). The prophetic overtones that shall bears with it have no doubt led to its use in some of the loftiest rhetoric in English. This may be why Lincoln chose to use it instead of will in the Gettysburg Address: «government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.» See Usage Note at should.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
shall
(ʃæl; unstressed ʃəl)
vb, past should
1. (esp with: I or we as subject) used as an auxiliary to make the future tense: we shall see you tomorrow. Compare will11
2.
a. used as an auxiliary to indicate determination on the part of the speaker, as in issuing a threat: you shall pay for this!.
b. used as an auxiliary to indicate compulsion, now esp in official documents: the Tenant shall return the keys to the Landlord.
c. used as an auxiliary to indicate certainty or inevitability: our day shall come.
3. (with any noun or pronoun as subject, esp in conditional clauses or clauses expressing doubt) used as an auxiliary to indicate nonspecific futurity: I don’t think I shall ever see her again; he doubts whether he shall be in tomorrow.
[Old English sceal; related to Old Norse skal, Old High German scal, Dutch zal]
Usage: The usual rule given for the use of shall and will is that where the meaning is one of simple futurity, shall is used for the first person of the verb and will for the second and third: I shall go tomorrow; they will be there now. Where the meaning involves command, obligation, or determination, the positions are reversed: it shall be done; I will definitely go. However, shall has come to be largely neglected in favour of will, which has become the commonest form of the future in all three persons
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
shall
(ʃæl; unstressed ʃəl)
auxiliary v., pres. shall;
1. plan to or intend to: I shall go later.
2. will have to or is determined to: You shall do it. He shall do it.
3. (in laws, directives, etc.) must; is or are obliged to: Council meetings shall be public.
4. (used interrogatively): Shall we go?
[before 900; Middle English shal, Old English sceal; c. Old Saxon skal, Old High German scal, Old Norse skal; compare Dutch zal, German soll]
usage: The traditional rule of usage says that future time is indicated by shall in the first person (We shall explain) and will in the other persons (You will be there, won’t you?). The rule continues that determination is expressed by will in the first person (We will win the battle) and shall in the other persons (They shall not bully us). Whether this rule was ever widely observed is doubtful. Today, will is used overwhelmingly in all persons, in all types of speech and writing, both for the simple future and to express determination. shall has some use in all persons, chiefly in formal contexts, to express determination: I shall return. We shall overcome. shall also occurs in the language of laws and directives: All visitors shall observe posted regulations. See also should.
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
shall
– will
1. ‘shall’ and ‘will’
Shall and will are used to make statements and ask questions about the future.
Shall and will are not usually pronounced in full after a pronoun. When writing down what someone has said, the contraction ‘ll is usually used after the pronoun, instead of writing shall or will in full.
He’ll come back.
‘They’ll be late,’ he said.
Shall and will have the negative forms shall not and will not. In speech, these are usually shortened to shan’t /ʃɑːnt/ and won’t /wəʊnt/. Shan’t is rather old-fashioned, and is rarely used in American English.
I shan’t ever do it again.
You won’t need a coat.
It used to be considered correct to write shall after I or we, and will after any other pronoun or noun phrase. Now, most people write will after I and we, and this is not regarded as incorrect, although I shall and we shall are still sometimes used.
I hope some day I will meet you.
We will be able to help.
I shall be out of the office on Monday.
There are a few special cases in which you use shall, rather than ‘will’:
2. suggestions
You can make a suggestion about what you and someone else should do by asking a question beginning with ‘Shall we…?‘
Shall we go out for dinner?
You can also suggest what you and someone else should do by using a sentence that begins with ‘Let’s…‘ and ends with ‘…shall we?‘
Let’s have a cup of tea, shall we?
3. asking for advice
You can use shall I or shall we when you are asking for suggestions or advice.
What shall I give them for dinner?
Where shall we meet?
4. offering
You can say ‘Shall I… ?‘ when you are offering to do something.
Shall I shut the door?
Will also has some special uses:
5. requests
You can use will you to make a request.
Will you take these upstairs for me, please?
Don’t tell anyone, will you?
6. invitations
You can also use will you or the negative form won’t you to make an invitation. Won’t you is very formal and polite.
Will you stay to lunch?
Won’t you sit down, Sir?
7. ability
Will is sometimes used to say that someone or something is able to do something.
This will get rid of your headache.
The car won’t start.
Be Careful!
You don’t normally use ‘shall’ or ‘will’ in clauses beginning with words and expressions such as when, before, or as soon as. Instead you use the present simple. Don’t say, for example, ‘I’ll call as soon as I shall get home‘. Say ‘I’ll call as soon as I get home’.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
Translations
تُسْتَعْمَل على شَكل طَلَبسَوْف
budumámmusímemusíšnemám
vilskal
(se usa para expresar el condicional)(se usa para expresar el futuro)(se usa para expresar obligación)deberverbo auxiliar de futuro
tulla
biti
ámunskal, ætlarskal, verîur
(未来を表して)・・・だろう
~일 것이다
komma att
จะ
sẽ
shall
[ʃæl] AUX VB
1. (used to form 1st person in future tense and questions) I shall go → yo iré
no I shall not (come); no I shan’t (come) → no, yo no (vendré or voy a venir)
shall I go now? → ¿me voy ahora?
let’s go in, shall we? → ¿entramos?
shall we let him? → ¿se lo permitimos?
shall we hear from you soon? → ¿te pondrás en contacto pronto?
2. (in commands, emphatic) you shall pay for this! → ¡me las vas a pagar!
«but I wanted to see him» — «and so you shall» → -pero quería verle -y le vas a ver
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
shall
pret <should>
modal aux vb
(determination, obligation) you shall pay for this! → dafür sollst or wirst du büßen!; but I say you shall do it! → aber ich sage dir, du wirst das machen!; the directors shall not be disturbed (form) → die Direktoren dürfen nicht gestört werden; the court shall rise → das Gericht muss sich erheben; (command) → erheben Sie sich!; thou shalt not kill (Bibl) → du sollst nicht töten; the manufacturer shall deliver … (in contracts etc) → der Hersteller liefert …; I want to go too — and so you shall → ich will auch mitkommen — aber gewiss doch or (in fairy stories) → es sei!
(in questions, suggestions) what shall we do? → was sollen wir machen?, was machen wir?; let’s go in, shall we? → komm, gehen wir hinein!; shall I go now? → soll ich jetzt gehen?; I’ll buy 3, shall I? → soll ich 3 kaufen?, ich kaufe 3, oder?
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
shall
[ʃæl] aux vb
a. (used to form 1st person in future tense and questions) I shall or I’ll go tomorrow → ci andrò domani, ci vado domani
shall I open the door or will you? → devo aprire io la porta o lo fai tu?
shall we hear from you soon? → ci mandera presto sue notizie?
I’ll get some, shall I? → ne prendo un po’, che ne dici?
let’s go out, shall we? → usciamo, vuoi?
b. (in commands, promises, emphatic) you shall pay for this! → questa la pagherai!
it shall be done → sarà fatto
but I wanted to see him — and so you shall → ma volevo vederlo! — lo vedrai!
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
shall
(ʃəl) , (ʃӕl) – short forms I’ll ~we’ll: negative short form shan’t (ʃaːnt) – verb
1. used to form future tenses of other verbs when the subject is I or we. We shall be leaving tomorrow; I shall have arrived by this time tomorrow.
2. used to show the speaker’s intention. I shan’t be late tonight.
3. used in questions, the answer to which requires a decision. Shall I tell him, or shan’t I?; Shall we go now?
4. used as a form of command. You shall go if I say you must.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
shall
→ سَوْف budu vil werden θα deber, verbo auxiliar de futuro tulla futur biti auxiliary for the future tense (未来を表して)・・・だろう ~일 것이다 zullen få nie tłumaczy się na język polski; służy do tworzenia czasu przyszłego ir, verbo usado para exprimir futuro ou obrigatoriedade буду komma att จะ ecek, acak sẽ 将要
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
- I shall be leaving tomorrow morning at ten a.m. (US)
I will be leaving tomorrow morning at ten a.m. (UK)
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
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1
shall
shall/should
КОММЕНТАРИЙ:shall / should
Сначала несколько примеров из оригинальной англоязычной нормативно-технической документации:
1. Within this Specification:
a. «Shall»is used to indicate that a provision is mandatory.
b. «Should»is used to indicate that a provision is not mandatory, but recommended as good practice.
2. Shall:Indicates a mandatory requirement.
Should:Indicates a suggested means of accomplishment.
3.«Shallhas been used only when application of a procedure is mandatory.
«Should’has been used only when application of a procedure is recommended.
4.Shall: A term which indicates that a provision is a Code requirement (see alsoshould/
Should: A term which indicates that a provision is recommended as good practice but is not a Code requirement (see alsoshall/)
5.Shall: Indicates a mandatory or required action (seeshould. Should: Indicates a preferred or recommended action (seeshall/
6.Shall:Indicates a mandatory requirement. Should:Indicates a preferred (but not mandatory) course of action.
7. Mandatory rules of this Code are characterized by the use of the word « shall«. If a rule is of an advisory nature it is indicated by the use of the word «should»or is stated as a recommendation.
8. The word «shall»indicates a mandatory provision and «should»indicates a recommended or advisory provision.
И так далее, и тому подобное. Из приведенных здесь (и десятков других известных составителю) примеров со всей очевидностью вытекает, что
shall«сильнее», чем should. Переводчики, не знакомые с этим обстоятельством, столкнувшись с глаголом shall, переводят его то будущим временем, то с использованием формы долженствования. И то, и другое неверно, поскольку shall это — нечто, не подлежащее обсуждению. Это — данность. Это, как говорил Остап Бендер, — «медицинский факт». И на русский язык этот глагол переводится обычным изъявительным наклонением с использованием глагола либо в возвратной форме, либо в третьем лице множественного числа. Например: «Работа в замкнутых или ограниченных пространствах производится сварщиком под контролем наблюдающего…» (а не будет производиться) или «Нормы дымности дизелей, тракторов и машин конкретных марок устанавливают в зависимости от условного расхода воздуха» (а не должны устанавливаться).
English-Russian dictionary of scientific and technical difficulties vocabulary > shall
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2
shall
shall [ʃæl (полная форма); ʃəl, ʃl (редуцированные формы)]
v
(should)
2) модальный глагол; выражает решимость, приказание, обещание, угрозу во 2 и 3
л. ед. ч.
и
мн. ч.
:
Англо-русский словарь Мюллера > shall
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3
shall
shall («it is required»)
допустимо или недопустимо стандартами
— используется в стандартах и правилах (как «допустимо» или «недопустимо») с тем, чтобы подчеркнуть, что обеспечение того или иного требования обязательно.
Англо-русский словарь по кондиционированию и вентиляции > shall
-
4
shall
shall («it is required»)
допустимо или недопустимо стандартами
— используется в стандартах и правилах (как «допустимо» или «недопустимо») с тем, чтобы подчеркнуть, что обеспечение того или иного требования обязательно.
English-Russian dictionary of terms for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and cooling air > shall
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5
shall
Персональный Сократ > shall
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6
shall
I
1) :
you say you will not do it, but I say you shall (do it) — вы говорите, что не желаете этого делать, а я вам говорю, что вы это сделаете /должны будете это сделать/
he says he will go there — He shall not — он говорит, что пойдёт туда. — Нет, не пойдёт
2) :
you shall pay for this! — ты за это заплатишь!
you shan’t go to the cinema tonight — ты сегодня вечером в кино не пойдёшь
you shall not catch me so easily next time — в следующий раз тебе не удастся так легко поймать меня
shall I come here tomorrow? — мне приходить сюда завтра?
shall I get you some more tea? — принести вам ещё чаю?
shall the boy wait? — мальчику (нужно) ждать (вас)?
shall we go for a walk? — не пойти ли нам погулять?
2) :
the fine shall not exceed 100 dollars — штраф не должен превышать ста долларов
the Senate shall be composed of two senators from each state — в сенат входят по два сенатора от каждого штата
3) :
whatever shall be… — что бы ни случилось…
what shall be shall be — что будет, то будет
we shall see — ≅ поживём — увидим
we shall get the money back — мы добьёмся, чтобы нам вернули деньги
III Б
:
I shall arrive by the first train tomorrow — я приеду завтра первым поездом
shall you be here on Sunday? — вы будете здесь в воскресенье?
НБАРС > shall
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7
shall
1. v во 2-м и 3-м лице выражает
you say you will not do it, but I say you shall — вы говорите, что не желаете этого делать, а я вам говорю, что вы это сделаете
2. v выражает желательность или обязательность действия
3. v с личным местоимением 1-го лица выражает решимость
Синонимический ряд:
be possible (verb) be conceivable; be going to; be possible; be practicable; be within reach; may; might; should; will
English-Russian base dictionary > shall
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8
shall
ʃæl (полная форма) ;
(редуцированные формы) гл.
1) вспомогательный глагол;
служит для образования будущего времени в 1 л. ед. и мн. ч. I shall go ≈ я пойду
2) модальный глагол;
выражает решимость, приказание, обещание, угрозу во 2 и 3 л. ед. и мн. ч. you shall not catch me again ≈ я вам не дам себя поймать снова he shall be told about it ≈ ему непременно скажут об этом they shall not pass! ≈ они не пройдут! you shall pay for this! ≈ ты за это заплатишь!
во втором и третьем лице выражает: волю говорящего, его приказ, распоряжение и т. п. — you say you will not do it, but I say you * (do it) вы говорите, что не желаете этого делать, а я вам говорю, что вы это сделаете /должны будете это сделать/ — he says he will go there — He * not он говорит, что пойдет туда. — Нет, не пойдет — thou shalt not kill (библеизм) не убий обещание, угрозу и т. п. — you * have the book tomorrow получишь эту книгу завтра — you * pay for this! ты за это заплатишь! — you shan’t go to the cinema tonight ты сегодня вечером в кино не пойдешь — you * not catch me so easily next time в следующий раз тебе не удастся так легко поймать меня выражает желательность или обязательность действия: — * I come here tomorrow? мне приходить сюда завтра? — * I get you some more tea? принести вам еще чаю? — * the boy wait? мальчику (нужно) ждать (вас) ? — * we go for a walk? не пойти ли нам погулять? в текстах законов, соглашений, приказов и т. п. выражает долженствование и часто соответствует настоящему времени: — the fine * not exceed 100 dollars штраф не должен превышать ста долларов — it * be unlawful to carry arms закон запрещает ношение оружия — the Senate * be composed of two senators from each state в сенат входят по два сенатора от каждого штата употребляется в предсказаниях, пророчествах и т. п.: — there * be peace on earth на земле воцарится мир — you * woe this day ты еще горько пожалеешь об этом дне — whatever * be… что бы ни случилось… — what * be * be что будет, то будет — we * see поживем — увидим с личным местоимением 1-го лица выражает решимость: — I * return я (обязательно) вернусь — we * get the money back мы добьемся, чтобы нам вернули деньги — they * not pass они не пройдут вспомогательный глагол служит для образования формы будущего времени в 1-м лице в утвердительных и отрицательных предложениях и в 1-м и 2-м лице в вопросительных предложениях: — I * arrive by the first train tomorrow я приеду завтра первым поездом — I * come home every week я буду приезжать домой каждую неделю — * you be here on Sunday? вы будете здесь в воскресенье?
you ~ not catch me again я вам не дам себя поймать снова;
he shall be told about it ему непременно скажут об этом
shall (should) вспомогательный глагол;
служит для образования будущего времени в 1 л. ед. и мн. ч.: I shall go я пойду
shall (should) вспомогательный глагол;
служит для образования будущего времени в 1 л. ед. и мн. ч.: I shall go я пойду ~ (should) модальный глагол;
выражает решимость, приказание, обещание, угрозу во 2 и 3 л. ед. и мн. ч. shalt: shalt уст. 2- е л. ед. ч. настоящего времени гл. shall
they ~ not pass! они не пройдут!;
you shall pay for this! ты за это заплатишь!
you ~ not catch me again я вам не дам себя поймать снова;
he shall be told about it ему непременно скажут об этом
they ~ not pass! они не пройдут!;
you shall pay for this! ты за это заплатишь!Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь > shall
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9
shall
[ʃæl]
you shall not catch me again я вам не дам себя поймать снова; he shall be told about it ему непременно скажут об этом shall (should) вспомогательный глагол; служит для образования будущего времени в 1 л. ед. и мн. ч.: I shall go я пойду shall (should) вспомогательный глагол; служит для образования будущего времени в 1 л. ед. и мн. ч.: I shall go я пойду shall (should) модальный глагол; выражает решимость, приказание, обещание, угрозу во 2 и 3 л. ед. и мн. ч. shalt: shalt уст. 2- е л. ед. ч. настоящего времени гл. shall they shall not pass! они не пройдут!; you shall pay for this! ты за это заплатишь! you shall not catch me again я вам не дам себя поймать снова; he shall be told about it ему непременно скажут об этом they shall not pass! они не пройдут!; you shall pay for this! ты за это заплатишь!
English-Russian short dictionary > shall
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10
shall
1)
I shall come next week — Я приеду на следующей неделе.
2)
Shall I close the window? — Закрыть окно? (Я закрою окно?)
Shall we buy apples? — Купить яблок?
3)
Shall we go shopping? — Пойдем за покупками?
4)
I’ve lost my bag. What shall I do? — Я потеряла сумку. Что мне делать?
5)
English-Russian grammar dictionary > shall
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11
shall
[ʃæl] ( полная форма); [ʃ(ə)l] ( редуцированные формы)
гл.
1)
2)
You shall not catch me again. — Я вам не дам себя поймать снова.
He shall be told about it. — Ему непременно скажут об этом.
•
Gram:
[ref dict=»LingvoGrammar (En-Ru)»]shall[/ref]
Англо-русский современный словарь > shall
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12
shall
[ʃæl]
v
(should)
1) вспомогательный глагол, образующий будущее время Future Indefinite
2) во 2 и 3 лице выражает долженствование, уверенность в чём-либо
3) модальный глагол в вопросительных предложениях для I лица, означающий просьбу дать указание в отношении дальнейших действий
2000 самых употребительных английских слов > shall
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13
shall
verb
(past should)
1) вспомогательный глагол; служит для образования будущего времени в 1 л. ед. и мн. ч.: I shall go я пойду
2) модальный глагол; выражает решимость, приказание, обещание, угрозу во 2 и 3 л. ед. и мн. ч.: you shall not catch me again я вам не дам себя поймать снова; he shall be told about it ему непременно скажут об этом; they shall not pass! они не пройдут!; you shall pay for this! ты за это заплатишь!
* * *
(v) будет; должен
* * *
* * *
[ʃæl,ʃəl]
модальный глагол английского языка* * *
будет
должен
должный
обещание
приказание
* * *
1) вспомогательный глагол; служит для образования будущего времени в 1 л. ед. и мн. ч.
2) модальный глагол; выражает решимость, приказание, обещание, угрозу во 2 и 3 л. ед. и мн. ч.Новый англо-русский словарь > shall
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14
shall
English-Russian big medical dictionary > shall
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15
shall we?
Для выражения согласия в предложениях с Let’s употребляется shall we.
Let’s go out for dinner, shall we? — Давай куда-нибудь сходим пообедать, хорошо?
Англо-русский универсальный дополнительный практический переводческий словарь И. Мостицкого > shall we?
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16
shall
[ʃæl]
v
1) вспомогательный глагол для образования Future 1-го лица единственного и множественного числа; should [ʃʊd] служит для обозначения Future in the Past
2) модальный глагол; в вопросительных предложениях для 1-го лица означает просьбу дать указание в отношении дальнейших действий
— shall I read?English-Russian combinatory dictionary > shall
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17
shall
1) Brit в 1 л. ед и мн образует будущее время
2) во 2 и 3 л. ед и мн выражает приказание, уверенность
The Americanisms. English-Russian dictionary. > shall
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18
shall
- должно
Англо-русский словарь нормативно-технической терминологии > shall
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19
SHALL
Универсальный англо-русский словарь > SHALL
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20
shall
Универсальный англо-русский словарь > shall
Страницы
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См. также в других словарях:
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Shall — Shall, v. i. & auxiliary. [imp. {Should}.] [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen, pres. zal, imp. zoude, zou, OHG. solan,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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shall — [ ʃəl, strong ʃæl ] modal verb *** Shall is usually followed by an infinitive without to : I shall explain everything later. Sometimes it is used without a following infinitive: I have never visited Africa and probably never shall. Shall does not … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
-
shall — verb as required will, by compulsion will, by imperative will, mandatorily will, obligatorily will associated concepts: shall be lawful, shall be legal, shall become, shall give, shall have, shall not, shall perform, shall work Burton s Legal… … Law dictionary
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shall — W1S3 [ʃəl strong ʃæl] modal v negative short form shan t [: Old English; Origin: sceal] 1.) shall I/we…? spoken used to make a suggestion, or ask a question that you want the other person to decide about ▪ Shall I open the window? ▪ Shall we… … Dictionary of contemporary English
-
shall — [shal] v.aux. pt.should [ME schal, pl. schullen < OE sceal, inf. sceolan, akin to Ger sollen < IE base * (s)kel , to be indebted > Lith skeliù, to owe] 1. used in the first person to indicate simple future time [I shall probably go… … English World dictionary
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shall — ► MODAL VERB (3rd sing. present shall) 1) (in the first person) expressing the future tense. 2) expressing a strong assertion or intention. 3) expressing an instruction or command. 4) used in questions indicating offers or suggestions. USAGE… … English terms dictionary
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shall — (v.) O.E. sceal I owe/he owes, will have to, ought to, must (infinitive sculan, pt. sceolde), a common Germanic preterite present verb, from P.Gmc. *skal , *skul (Cf. O.S. sculan, O.N., Swed. skola, M.Du. sullen, O.H.G. solan, Ger. sollen, Goth.… … Etymology dictionary
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shall — [[t]ʃəl, STRONG ʃæl[/t]] ♦♦ (Shall is a modal verb. It is used with the base form of a verb.) 1) MODAL You use shall with I and we in questions in order to make offers or suggestions, or to ask for advice. Shall I get the keys?… I bought some… … English dictionary
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shall */*/*/ — strong UK [ʃæl] / US weak UK [ʃəl] / US modal verb Summary: Shall is usually followed by an infinitive without to : I shall explain everything later. Sometimes it is used without a following infinitive: I have never visited America and probably… … English dictionary
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shall — /shal/; unstressed /sheuhl/, auxiliary v., pres. sing. 1st pers. shall, 2nd shall or (Archaic) shalt, 3rd shall, pres. pl. shall; past sing. 1st pers. should, 2nd … Universalium
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shall */*/*/ — weak [ʃəl] , strong [ʃæl] modal verb summary: ■ Shall is usually followed by an infinitive without ‘to : I shall explain everything later. Sometimes it is used without a following infinitive: I have never visited America and probably never shall … Dictionary for writing and speaking English
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