Shall succeed or do succeed

[bluesky_cl323]

Test No. incompl/inter-90 "Tenses", question 8

Sometimes I wonder if I ......... ever succeed.

(a) do
(b) shall
(c) am
(d) were

Test No. incompl/inter-90 "Tenses", answer 8

Sometimes I wonder if I shall ever succeed.

Correct answer: (b) shall

Your answer was: incorrect
Sometimes I wonder if I do ever succeed.
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Why use shall in this tense? When will we use shall ? And why use do is wrong?

[Alan]

Shall essentially expresses the simple future in this sentence similar to am going to. Will also has a future dimension because it is to do with want or wish and both those concepts are future ones. Do in this sentence doesn't work because the addition of do is for emphasis and can be used like this: If I do succeed, I shall/will be pleased. But logically you cannot wonder about something that you are emphasising, which is what it suggests if you use do in that sentence.
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English as a Second Language
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