Are you trying to contract “shall not” but don’t know the best way to do it? It seems that both “shalln’t” and “shan’t” work, but it would help to know more about them.
This article will explain which is the correct form.
“Shan’t” is the correct contraction of “shall not.” You should not pronounce the “l” sounds in “shall” when shortening the word. For instance, “you shan’t pass!” “Shalln’t” is an archaic term that you should avoid using as it’s grammatically incorrect today.
These examples will show you more about the spellings:
- Correct: You shan’t get away with this. I have a few contacts that will be so keen to get you.
- Incorrect: So, she shalln’t be allowed to play, right? We have got to stop her.
Keep reading to learn more about “shalln’t” and “shan’t” as contractions. We’ve explained more about them and how you can use them.
Shan’t
“Shan’t” is the correct way to contract “shall not.” When contracting the phrase, you should remove the “l” letters and pronounce it with a longer “a” sound.
The definition of “shan’t,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “short form of shall not.”
However, “shall not” is not common in modern English. People see “shall” as too posh for most writers and speakers. Therefore, it’s left out of most people’s vocabulary.
Nevertheless, it’s still grammatical and correct. It’s quite formal, too, so people tend to use it more in professional situations.
Here are some examples showing you how to use it:
- You shan’t get away with this again, Julien. I’m going to bring you down for this.
- She shan’t hear the last of it. Though, we aren’t sure how to contact her.
Shalln’t
“Shalln’t” is an archaic contraction of “shall not.” It’s never used today, meaning you should avoid using it yourself.
It is not a word recognized by any official dictionaries. While some natives will understand what you’re trying to say, you should avoid using it to show you understand that it’s not correct.
Instead of “shalln’t,” you might be better off with “shouldn’t.” It’s a more effective contraction, and many people prefer using it.
So, here are some examples demonstrating the different forms:
- Correct: You shouldn’t be doing this. It’s not going to work well.
- Incorrect: I shalln’t say another word since I’m afraid of what might happen.
Conclusion
You should only use “shan’t.” It’s the correct contraction for “shall not,” making it the only useful term here.
“Shalln’t” was once correct, but it is archaic today. Therefore, it has no purpose in modern English.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
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:
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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.
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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….”
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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…..”
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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:
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A legislative amendment from “shall” to “may” had no substantive effect. (Moore v. Illinois Central Railroad Company)
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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.
Традиционно модальный глагол Shall в английском языке использовался с местоимениями I/We для выражения будущих действий, как и вспомогательный глагол Will. В современном английском теперь используется только will. В разговорной речи, возможно, англичане все еще применяют shall в функции вспомогательного глагола, но так или иначе, язык меняется, и даже британцы соглашаются с тем, что он уже не стоит наравне с will. Сегодня вы узнаете, в каких случаях употребляется этот модальный глагол, как строятся с ним предложения и пройдете тест, чтобы проверить свои знания.
Этот модальный глагол употребляется без частицы to и произносится [ʃæl], в отрицательной форме транскрипция выглядит так [ʃɑːnt].
Рассмотрим, как строятся предложения с этим модальным глаголом:
Утвердительные предложения
В утверждениях ставим его после подлежащего:
– I shall talk to him tomorrow. – Я поговорю с ним завтра.
Очевидно, что это слово не используется с другими модальными глаголами, но можно употреблять его с need to/be able to/have to:
– I have good news! I shall be able to visit my parents in Spain! – У меня хорошие новости! Я смогу навестить родителей в Испании!
Отрицательные предложения
В отрицаниях вспоминаем про частицу not:
– I shan’t be able to visit my parents. – Я не смогу навестить родителей.
Полная форма используется в официальных ситуациях или, когда мы хотим подчеркнуть что-то. Носители язык нечасто употребляют отрицательную структуру.
[qsm quiz=59]
Вопросительные предложения
В вопросах глагол меняется местами с подлежащим (subject):
– Shall we meet for lunch? – А не встретиться ли нам за обедом?
И последнее, Shall используется в разделительных вопросах:
– I’ll drive you home, shall I? – Я отвезу тебя домой, хорошо?
Случаи употребления модального глагола Shall
Слово Shall никогда не является чисто модальным глаголом. Он всегда сочетает в себе модальное значение с функцией вспомогательного глагола, выражающего будущее время. Этот глагол по-прежнему используется для формулировки обязательства со вторым и третьим лицом в единственном и множественном числе, но он не распространен в этом значении в разговорном английском. Его использование, как правило, ограничивается формальным или даже архаическим стилем и встречается в основном в придаточных предложениях, где он структурно зависим:
– It has been decided that the proposal shall not be opposed. – Принято решение, что возражений против предложения не будет.
Однако измененное значение обязательства с этим глаголом все еще встречается в архаическом стиле со вторым и третьим лицом в единственном и множественном числе, за которым следует non-perfect infinitive в утвердительных и отрицательных предложениях.
Вот наглядная картинка, которая поможет запомнить первое, второе и третье лицо.
1. Promise and strong intention – обещание и сильное намерение
– I give you my word, you shall hear from me soon. – Я даю слово, я скоро дам о себе знать.
Здесь можно использовать следующие эквиваленты:
– to promise – обещаю;
– to intend – намерен делать.
Примеры:
– Dave promised me that he’d cook supper tonight. – Дейв пообещал мне, что он приготовит ужин сегодня вечером.
– How long are you intending to stay in Toronto? – Как долго ты планируешь задержаться в Торонто?
2. Threat or warning – угроза или предупреждение
– You shall fail at the exam if you don’t work hard. – Ты провалишь экзамен, если не будешь много работать.
В значении «угроза или предупреждение» можно использовать следующие синонимы:
– to warn – серьезно предупреждаю;
– to threaten – угрожаю.
Примеры:
– I’ve been warning her for weeks. – Я предупреждал ее несколько недель.
– She threatened to send every letter I’ve written to my mother-in-law. – Она угрожала отправить все письма, которые я написал своей свекрови.
3. Strict orders and instructions – Строгие приказы и инструкции
В этом значении слово shall используется для более официальных инструкций, особенно в официальных документах, где они могут рассматриваться как формальные правила. В других случаях модальные глаголы must или should предпочтительны для выражения идей такого рода.
Например:
– The hirer shall be responsible for maintenance of the vehicle. – Наниматель несет ответственность за сохранность транспортного средства.
- Как правило, shall как модальный глагол не переводится на русский язык, его смысл передается выразительной интонацией.
В этом пункте используются такие эквиваленты как:
– to make smb. to do smth. (smb. – somebody; smth. – something);
– to tell smb.;
– to order.
Примеры:
– I ordered him to sit by me – Я приказала ему сесть рядом со мной.
– I made them clean this room. – Я заставил их убрать эту комнату.
Русские эквиваленты:
– должны (а);
– перестаньте;
– прекратите.
4. An offer – предложение
В этом значении глагол используется в вопросительных предложениях с первым лицом единственного и множественного числа. На русский язык переводятся инфинитивом:
– Shall we go out for a meal tonight? – А не поужинать ли нам где-нибудь сегодня вечером?
Чтобы речь была красивой, используйте такие синонимические выражения:
– How about…? – Как насчет…?
– Why don’t we…? – Почему бы нам не…?
– Do you want me to do it? – Ты хочешь, чтобы я это сделал (а)?
– Am I to do it? – Мне сделать это?
– I suggest… – Я предлагаю…
Примеры:
– How about inviting them? – Как насчет того, чтобы пригласить их?
– Why don’t we go for a swim? – Почему бы нам не пойти поплавать?
– I suggest that we park the car here and walk into town. – Я предлагаю припарковать машину здесь и пойти в город.
5. Asking for suggestions or advice – спрашивать совета или предложения
В таких предложениях глагол встречается с вопросительным словом:
– What shall we do about Jerry if he doesn’t get into university? – Что мы будем делать с Джерри, если он не поступит в университет?
Синонимические выражения:
– What is your suggestion?
– What can you advise?
На русский можно переводить следующими фразами:
– Как ты думаешь?
– Кто (как) по-твоему…?
Таблица правила со всеми эквивалентами и переводом находится в документе, который можно скачать ниже.
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Разница между Shall и Will
Как и в случае с can vs. could в стандартной грамматике британского английского языка существуют определенные «правила» различия между shall и will, о которых вам следует знать, даже если в настоящее время существует общее мнение, что эти два глагола, как правило, взаимозаменяемы в большинстве, но не во всех случаях. Ситуация немного отличается и в американском английском. Ниже приводятся основные правила использования этих двух глаголов.
I shall be in London, but you will be in China
Will используется в нескольких случаях, но в основном (после него следует инфинитив другого глагола) чтобы говорить о будущем:
– When will you go to London? – Когда ты поедешь в Лондон?
– If we have some time we will come and see you. – Если у нас будет время, мы навестим тебя.
– Sue wants to speak to you. – Сью, хочет поговорить с тобой.
– O.K. I will give her a call. – Хорошо, я ей позвоню.
Любители правильной грамматики, возможно, уже начали прыгать вверх и вниз после прочтения приведенных выше примеров. Почему? Ну, в традиционной британской грамматике правило заключается в том, что will должен использоваться только с местоимениями второго и третьего лица (you; he, she, it, they). А I and We нужно использовать с shall. Это означает, что, строго говоря, примеры неверные, и следует применять их так:
– If we have some time we shall come and see you.
– Sue wants to speak to you.
– O.K. I shall give her a call.
На практике и, особенно при разговоре, носители сокращают эти слова, например, I’ll, He’ll etc. Поэтому не нужно беспокоиться, какой из глаголов лучше всего использовать, когда речь идет о будущем времени.
Shall I? Will you? Let’s
Давайте сразу посмотрим на два примера:
– Will you shut the door? – Закроешь дверь? (Не могли бы вы закрыть дверь?)
– Shall I shut the door? – Мне закрыть дверь? (Вы хотите, чтобы я закрыл дверь?)
Прочитав перевод и пояснение в скобках можно понять, что с will мы хотим, чтобы кто-то сделал что-то для нас, а с shall мы предлагаем человеку, чтобы мы что-то сделали.
Когда используем глагол shall после слова Let’s – это значит, что мы вносим предложение, например: Let’s buy new furniture, shall we? – Давай купим новую мебель, хорошо?
Predictions and intensions – предсказания и намерения
Модальный глагол, которому мы посвятили всю статью, иногда используется вместо will с местоимениями «I – Я и We – мы» в формальных контекстах для выражения предсказания или, когда говорим о каком-либо намерении.
Сравните два предложения:
American English
С помощью OEC (Oxford English Corpus) мы обнаруживаем, что shall используют 28,7% англичане, а 17,8% – американцы.
Когда речь идет о будущем времени, Will доминирует и, похоже, что его помощник shall вышел из употребления.
Согласно Garner’s Modern American Usage, shall является «второстепенным глаголом» и встречается в основном в вопросах, выражающих предложения или, когда спрашиваем совета.
Вывод только один: всегда используйте, те слова и модальные глаголы, которые чаще применяют носители языка.
Чтобы понять разницу, предлагаем посмотреть видео на английском.
Разница между Shall Should
Как мы уже говорили в статье «модальный глагол should/ought to» различие между ними в том, что should это прошедшая форма shall. В настоящее время эти слова используются как два отдельных модальных глагола, у которых есть свои функции употребления.
Посмотрите короткое и отличное объяснение данного правила.
Should может использоваться в условных предложениях (if-clause) выражающих предположение, то есть мы хотим, чтобы событие произошло, хотя это маловероятно.
Взглянем на пример:
– If you should travel to Poland, buy me a T-shirt with a Polish flag on it. – Если вдруг ты поедешь в Польшу, купи мне майку с польским флагом.
А также should может идти в начале предложения. В этом случае, if не используется.
– Should she come, ask her to wait. – Случись так, что она придет, попроси ее подождать.
Но эти два предложения звучат старомодно. Люди редко используют, конструкцию “you should” в современном английском. Большинство носителей языка, вероятно, скажут: ‘If you are in Poland’ or ‘if you go to Poland’.
Вместо should употребляется слово happen.
Пример:
– If you happen to meet Nick, tell him that I don’t want to see him. – Если ты случайно встретишь Ника, скажи ему, что я не хочу его видеть.
Упражнение на пройденную тему
[qsm quiz=39]
Загрузка…
Shall or Will?
Hello, I’
m Jane at DailyStep English!
What is the difference between WILL and SHALL? How can we use SHALL correctly?
How many meanings does SHALL have in English? In this free DailyStep English Quiz + Lesson, you will learn the difference between SHALL and WILL, and other meanings of SHALL that may be new to you! If you are new to DailyStep English, please register for 5 Free Audio Lessons and to join my mailing list.
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Shall (modal verb)
by Jane Lawson at DailyStep.com
This little word causes so much confusion among English students! I get so many emails asking me to explain it, and in class, English teachers all over the world explain it every day! Why is it so confusing? Well, one reason is that its usage has changed over the years.
Many people think that English still uses ‘I shall’ and ‘We shall’ to express the future, but this is rarely the case now, as you will see in this word study…
Meaning 1: In old-fashioned or very formal English, or when we want to sound dramatic, we use ‘shall’ instead of ‘will’ when the subject is ‘I’ or ‘we’ and when we are talking about the future. Most people use ‘will’ these days.
Examples:
1. I shall spend all day tomorrow studying English. (note: note this sounds more formal than saying ‘I will spend all day…’) 2. I shall never forget this beautiful day. (note: this sounds more dramatic than saying ‘I will never forget…’) 3. We shall contact you in the near future. (this sounds very formal)
Meaning 2: We use ‘shall’, with ‘I’ or ‘we’ when we make a suggestion.
Examples:
1. “I’m too hot. Shall I turn on the air conditioning?” “Yes, please.”
2. “Shall we go to the beach tomorrow?” “Yes, let’s do that!”
Meaning 3: We use ‘shall’ to say that something certainly will or must happen, or that you are determined that something will happen. After ‘I’ or ‘We’ with this meaning, we always emphasise the word ‘shall’.
Examples:
1. I shall be there to help you, so please don’t worry about it.
2. The company rules state that no employee shall smoke on the company premises.
Meaning 4: We sometimes use ‘shall’ when we are asking for advice.
Examples:
1. What shall I do about this problem? (note: in this sentence, we can also say, ‘What should I do about this problem.’ Using ‘shall’ rather than ‘should’ sounds as if you are ready to do something immediately. If you use ‘should’, it sounds more like a request for general advice. I will say more about the difference between ‘shall’ and ‘should’ in a future blog.)
2. How shall I break the news to him?
Meaning 5: We sometimes use ‘shall’ to express our strong intention.
Examples:
1. I shan’t (= shall not) tell anyone this secret.
2. I shall post this letter first thing in the morning.
3. We shall not let you down. (note: in these examples we could also use ‘will’ instead of ‘shall’, but using ‘shall’ indicates a stronger intention.)
Meaning 6: In legal English, and the language of legal contracts, ‘shall’ means ‘has a legal duty to’.Examples:
1. The seller shall provide accurate and clear information and shall disclose all material defects known or suspected prior to the sale. (note: this means that the seller has a duty to provide accurate and clear information…)2. All employees shall inform the head of their department of their intention to leave at least thirty days prior to their desired leaving date. (note: this means that all employees have a duty to inform their boss thirty days before they want to leave.)
Now, write your own sentences using SHALL. Try to make them true to your own life if possible as this will help you to remember them better.
If you like this lesson, please share it. Thank you 🙂
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Modal verb Shall in English: use cases, examples, forms, difference
Traditionally, the modal verb Shall in English has been used with the pronouns I / We to express future actions, just like the auxiliary verb Will. Modern English now only uses will.
In colloquial speech, perhaps the English still use shall as an auxiliary verb, but one way or another, the language is changing, and even the British agree that it is no longer on a par with will.
Today you will learn in what cases this modal verb is used, how sentences are built with it and take a test to test your knowledge.
Forms of formation of the modal verb Shall
This modal verb is used without the to particle and is pronounced [ʃæl], in the negative form the transcription looks like this [ʃɑːnt].
Let’s see how sentences are constructed with this modal verb:
Affirmative sentences
In statements, we put it after the subject:
— I shall talk to him tomorrow. — I’ll talk to him tomorrow.
Obviously, this word is not used with other modal verbs, but you can use it with need to / be able to / have to:
— I have good news! I shall be able to visit my parents in Spain! — I have good news! I can visit my parents in Spain!
Negative sentences
In negations, remember the not particle:
— I shan’t be able to visit my parents. — I won’t be able to visit my parents.
The full form is used in formal situations or when we want to emphasize something. Native speakers rarely use negative structure.
In questions, the verb is swapped with the subject:
— Shall we meet for lunch? “Shouldn’t we meet for lunch?”
Last but not least, Shall is used in separation issues:
— I’ll drive you home, shall I? — I’ll take you home, okay?
Use cases for the modal verb Shall
Shall is never a purely modal verb. It always combines modal meaning with the function of an auxiliary verb for the future tense.
This verb is still used to formulate a commitment with a second and third person in the singular and plural, but it is not common in this sense in colloquial English.
Its use is usually limited to the formal or even archaic style and is found mainly in subordinate clauses, where it is structurally dependent:
Source: https://englishmix.ru/grammatika/modalnye-glagoly/modalnyj-glagol-shall
Don’t Americans say «shall»?
There is a legend of a Scottish man living in London. He didn’t know how to use SHALL and WILL, he was drowning and he shouted:
“I will die, no one shall save me” instead of “I shall die, no one will save me”.
And he died because of that.
You get the joke?
If you have ever studied classical, correct English, then you understand what the salt is But in general, this anecdote is two hundred years old, so even if you do not understand, do not be discouraged.
For many Americans shall practically non-existent… Even 18 years ago, when I was in school, we were already warned that shall has long been outdated and lost its position in colloquial speech.
Later I became convinced of this: in 95% of cases, Americans do not use shall… Therefore, to all my students, I said: » shall… Just speak will».
Hall with all its subtleties — really a feature of the British. One old cartoon made fun of formality shall:
«Shall we?» — «Let’s shall!»
However, it cannot be argued that Americans do not use shall never. Let’s put an end to the question “When do Americans say shall?»
The most typical use case shall — a proposal to do something together. There are two options:
1) Shall we go now? — Well, let’s go already?
Shall we go for a walk? — Let’s go for a walk?
Shall we go to the movies? — Let’s go to the movies?
Shall we dance? — Well, let’s dance?
2) Are you ready? Let’s go, shall we? — Are you ready? Then we go?
Let’s dance, shall we? — Shall we dance?
Let’s get started, shall we? — Let `s start?
Note that all of these questions are assumed to be answered yes. Thanks to shall/shallwe? the question doesn’t sound so assertive (compare to “Let’s go! Let’s get started!”).
Hall softens these suggestions. Many Americans even say they do shallwhen they want to show gallantry and special courtesy.
However, there is one big «but». Hall sounds archaic, whatever one may say. Therefore, Americans are more likely to choose more casual expressions:
Let’s get started, okay?
Alright, let’s get started.
Do you wanna go?
Why don’t we go to the movies?
How about going out tonight?
Wanna eat out?
Shall vs. should
In principle, shall can occur in sentences like:
HallIhelpyouWithThat? — I (should / should) help you with this?
What shall I do? — What should I do? What do i do?
Whereshallwego? — Where should we (should) go?
These sentences sound normal, but even in these cases, Americans are much more willing to say shouldntAnd not shall.
Hall forspecialcases
Sometimes Americans use shallto emphasize your unwavering determination to do something.
For example, if a politician is asked whether he will do what he promises, he may well answer: “I will, and I shall”. That is, «Yes, and I declare that I am determined to do this, and I will do my best.»
Can be found shall
Source: http://fluenterra.ru/english/english-grammar/americans-dont-say-shall.php
Enjoy learning English online with Puzzle English for free
Difference between shall и will not striking — they both can serve to form the future tense and even replace each other. But since these verbs are modal, they are not so simple with them. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind in connection with will и shall Is the future tense. But they can also contribute to the expression of intention or obligation.
Cases of bygone days
Long ago, before smartphones were invented (like the internet and television), English grammar was more or less orderly.
Traditional rules prescribed the use of shall with the first person (I — I и we — we), in the event that it was necessary to form the future tense without additional meanings. With the rest of the faces it was possible to use will.
It looked something like this:
I shall meet Miss Edwards tomorrow. I’ll see Miss Edwards tomorrow.
We shall stay in London. We will be staying in London.
Miss edwards will be delighted. Miss Edwards will be delighted.
They will meet us at the station. They will meet us at the train station.
If will was used in the first person, then it expressed the idea of aspiration, decisiveness.
I will speak to Miss Edwards about her dog digging up my flower bed! I’ll talk to Ms. Edwards about her dog digging my flower bed!
We will definitely solve this problem. We will definitely solve this problem.
When this confidence in future action was projected onto someone else (second or third person), then it was used shall:
you shall obey me. You will obey me.
Margarete shall help you with that. Margaret will definitely help you with this.
And in fact,
Now we have to reveal all the cards and admit that these rules have not been observed by anyone for a long time. English speakers are fluent in both verbs with any person. The main thing to remember is will is used many times more often than shall.
Although there is at least one case where knowing the old rules will come in handy: if you love classical English literature and want to read it in the original.
Alice, the one who ended up in Wonderland, constantly uses shall with the first person and will — with other persons. After all, she was an educated English girl from a good family.
I shall be punished for it now, by being drowned in my own tears! That will be a queer thing, to be sure! Now, as a punishment, I will also drown in my own tears! It will really be strange!
I do hope it will make me grow large again. I hope this helps me grow again.
Abridged version
In colloquial speech, you don’t have to worry about which verb to put — you can just use contractions after pronouns. Who knows which verb is hidden behind two letters «l«?
I‘ll be there at 6. I’ll be there at six.
They‘ll come over for dinner. They will stop by for dinner.
True, there is still a difference in reducing negatives: «will not « becomes won’t, a «shall not « turns into shan’t. True, this last version is extremely rarely used in America, and it can be heard less and less on other continents.
Will (shall) — the difference is there still?
Yes, there are cases when only will or only shall… Let’s take them apart!
Although the verb shall is rapidly falling out of use as an indicator of the future tense, nevertheless, in some values it has become entrenched.
- For example, when you suggest something to someone or ask a clarifying question, you can start the sentence with shall, or put it at the end:
Hall I help you? Can I help you?
Let’s go, shall we? Let’s go to?
End «Shall we?» in the last example, it expresses a certain impatience and even, to some extent, authoritarianism. This is a more formal alternative to the ending «Okay?» which is put when we expect consent from the interlocutor.
Compare:
Let’s just do it, okay? Let’s just do it, ok?
Source: https://puzzle-english.com/directory/will-or-shall
Future in English: future simple, is it necessary and when to use going to
«Grammar» The Times » Future in English: future simple, is it necessary and when to use going to
Future. Everything that hasn’t happened yet, but will happen at any point in time after now. Interestingly, in some languages, for example, in Chinese, there is no future tense — you have to say something like «I’ll go tomorrow.» In English, the future tense, of course, is and it is, moreover, one of the simplest. The future tense is formed by adding will to any verb. However, English would not be English, if it had not thrown in exceptions and nuances here too — they will be discussed.
How Future Simple is formed
If you need to build a sentence in the future, all you need to do is put the particle will in front of the verbs. And that’s all.
I will go. You will do it. John will come. I will go. You do. John will come. It couldn’t be easier, right?
‘ll
Well, or almost nowhere. And here the first difficulty awaits you. In the case when will stands after the pronoun, it is often shortened to ‘ll, that is, I will becomes I’ll, you will — you’ll, he will — he’ll, and so on.
This shouldn’t be a problem when reading; but in spoken language, especially if you are just starting to learn English, this is something worth paying attention to. ‘ll in the colloquial speech of a native speaker can be completely invisible, it literally slips between the pronoun and the verb.
In fluent speech, words will, as it were, flow into each other along the way for a moment, flowing into ‘ll.
But what about shall?
Here, especially if there are students in the classroom who got their first idea of the future tense in English back in Soviet school, they might be surprised. «If the subject in the sentence is I or we, then the verb shall is used to form the future tense.» I don’t know about you, but that’s how I was taught in the 5th grade.
Here the Soviet textbook, to put it mildly, is not entirely right. In all cases, will is used, and it doesn’t matter what face the subject has in the sentence: I will, you will, he will. That’s all. Another classic of English literature Chaucer in the 14th century used will for all pronouns and did not worry about what Soviet textbooks thought about it.
When to use shall
At the same time, I do not want to say at all that the British sent shall to the dustbin of history. If you have more or less sorted out with will, let’s take a look at the cases where shall is quite appropriate.
Shall as the force of circumstance
To begin with, shall and will, although both mean «something will happen in the future,» have a more subtle connotation in their meanings.
Will has a tint of desire, intentions to do something: “I want and will do”, “he wants and will do”. Hallon the other hand, it is, rather, «force majeure circumstances», «something that should happen.» A classic example from English grammar:
I shall drown; no one will save me! I will drown (and this circumstance is stronger than me) and no one will save me (because no one wants or can save me)
Now let’s turn this phrase the other way.
I will drown; no one shall save me! I will drown (and here we have a shade of suicide — I want to drown!), And no one will save me (do not come and do not try to save me!).
In fairness, it should be noted that this nuance — the desire for will and the circumstances for shall are gradually leaving the English language. But the next feature of the verb shall, which we will now talk about, is manifested even more.
Shall as a modal verb
Source: https://englishexplained.ru/future-simple-and-going-to/
Shall and will: usage rules and differences from other modal verbs
By Natalia October 3, 2018
Modal verbs act as auxiliary verbs, carry a number of different semantic loads. All these rules have their own logical thread, remembering which, you will forever remember the features of shall, will, must, have to, should, ought to, would and others.
Basic concept of modality
Modal verbs perform the function of helping one word to another, fill a bunch of words with meaning.
I should go to work. — I have to go to work.
What happens if you remove should?
I go to work. — I go to work.
The meaning has changed. It is for the correct presentation of thoughts that modal verbs serve.
There are 8 main verbs that obey a number of rules, and 5 words that are not modal, but fit some of these rules.
Basic modal verbs are easy to remember:
MMM — must, may, might;
WW — will, would;
CC — can, could;
SS — shall, should.
Side:
- ought to, need, have to, be able to (for use in the past tense of opportunity verbs);
- used to (denoting an action that was performed before but is not being performed now).
Basic rules for modal verbs:
- You can’t put s to them. Never. Forget about it. We are used to: She speaks English well. — She speaks to him. With a modal verb of opportunity: She might speak English well. — She could speak English well.
- In questions, they behave in the same way as a regular auxiliary verb: Is he leaving now? — Is he leaving now? And now the verb of opportunity: Could I leave now? — Can I get out now?
- We use the modal verb first, and then the not particle and then the infinitive. In general, the principle is the same as in the second rule.
Shall and will before and now
English is very plastic or flexible. Every day he changes and adapts to people. This is how the Future Simple or Future Indefinite tense rule has changed.
Source: https://eng911.ru/rules/grammar/shall-will.html
Auxiliary verbs in English
The topic of service and auxiliary verbs is quite difficult for those who have started learning English. Not all service verbs have an equivalent in Russian. However, of course, for the English, helper verbs are natural and important. Such verbs have no meaning, and in statements they are only part of the predicate. Next, we will take a closer look at what it means, service verb and find out why we need helper verbs.
What is an auxiliary verb in English
Service verbs are words that, in terms of vocabulary, do not have an individual meaning. These helper verbs serve as support for action verbs. Their main function is to help build a sentence correctly with a complex verb form. These verbs are used when you need to express the number, gender, or time period of an action.
Remember, individual verbs from this topic can be used as basic ones, for example: tobe, toHave, todo.
In addition, in many cases to be is used in combinations as a linking verb, and will и shall — can occur as modal verbs.
Although these verbs are not translated into Russian, they serve as multifunctional helpers in British sentences.
Consider these examples:
- He is at work now. — He’s at work now.
- You were busy and didn’t notice us. — You were busy and did not notice us.
- She runs here every morning. — She runs here every morning.
- I have finished my project. — I finished the project.
Etcarrangements сverb activity:
- I’m a blogger. — I’m a blogger.
- You have to study. –You will have to learn.
- I do believe you. — I really believe you.
How many service verbs are there?
Let’s look at what service verbs are and what each of them means. There are only five verbs — helpers:
- to do
- to be
- to have
- shall (should)
- will (would)
The first three service verbs are used most often: be, do, Have… Special attention should be paid to these verbs. The reasons are as follows:
- These verbs are used most often.
- They are «two-faced» — they can take the form of both an action verb and a service verb.
- Verbs be, do, Have mutated by faces.
- Each of them has an abbreviated form.
To be, to be and to have easily change shape. All forms of these verbs in the present tense are shown in the table:
| Pronoun | to do | to be | to have |
| I | do | am | Have |
| He, She, It | does | is | has |
| They, we, you | do | are | Have |
In the past tense, the form changes only for the verb tobe:
- What: I, he, she, it
- Were: They, we, you
The service verbs to have and to do in the past tense, in accordance with the rules, in all persons form the form did and had.
Will, shall, should, would — verbs that do not change by faces.
Verb to be
Be Is the most commonly used verb in English. This is just one verb, which has a special form in different persons and numbers. This verb can serve as a connecting link, used as a service verb, or express an action. Verb be sentences can be translated as «Appear» и «be», when used as an action verb.
Affirmative sentences and questions with to be:
- I have to be at work today. — I have to be at work today.
- I need to go now. — I have to go.
- Do you want to be our guest? — Would you like to be our guest?
Source: https://englishfun.ru/grammatika/glagol/vspomogatelnye-glagoly-v-anglijskom-yazyke
Future tense with Will / Shall 1 (Future simple)
We use I’ll (= I will) when we decided to do something at the time of speech:
- Oh, I’ve left the door open. I’ll go and shut it.
- ‘What would you to drink?’ ‘I’ll have an orange juice, please. ‘
- ‘Did you phone Lucy?’ ‘Oh no, I forgot. I’ll phone her now. ‘
You cannot use the present simple (I do / i go and others) in these sentences:
- I‘ll go and shut the door. (not I go and shut)
We often use I think I’ll и I don’t think I’ll :
- I feel a bit hungry. I think I’ll have something to eat.
- I don’t think I’ll go out tonight. I’m too tired.
In spoken English, negation will usually is won’t (= want not):
- I can see you’re busy, so I won’t stay long.
Do not use willwhen you talk about something you have already decided or planned to do (see lessons 19, 20):
- I‘m going on holiday next Saturday. (not I’ll go)
- Are you working tomorrow? (not will you work)
We often use will in the following situations:
Suggesting to do something
- That bag looks heavy. I’ll help you with it. (not I help)
Agreeing to do something
- A: Can you give Tim this book?
B: sure I’ll give it to him when I see him this afternoon.
Promising to do something
- Thanks for lending me the money. I’ll pay you back on Friday.
- I won’t tell anyone what happened. I promise.
Asking someone to do something (will you ?)
- will you please turn the stereo down? I’m trying to concentrate.
You can use won’twhen someone refuses to do something:
- I’ve tried to give her advice, but she won’t listen… (in Russian: does not listen; in English: will not listen)
- The car won’t start… (= car ‘refuses’ to start)
Shall I? Shall we?
More often shall used in questions shall I ? / shall we ?
We use shall I ? / shall we ? to ask someone’s opinion, especially about suggestions or suggestions:
- Shall i open the window? (= Should I open a window? = Do you want me to open a window? Offer)
- I’ve got no money. What shall I do? (= What should I do? = What do you suggest? (For me to do) suggestion)
- ‘Shall we go? ‘ ‘Just a minute. I’m not ready yet. ‘
- Where shall we go this evening?
Compare shall I ? and will you ?:
- Shall i shut the door? (= Do I close the door? = Do you want me to close the door?)
- will you shut the door? (= Will you close the door? = I want you to close the door.)
Continued in the next lesson.
Exercises
1. Complete the sentences with I’ll + a suitable verb.
2. Read the situations and write sentences with I think I’ll or I don’t think I’ll.
3. Check the box for the correct option. (If necessary, repeat lessons 19, 20)
4. What would you say in these situations? Write sentences with shall I? or shall we?
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Source: https://lingust.ru/english/grammar/lesson21