shall vs will

[Tweak]

dear teachers,

when to use shall and will?

thanks! :D

[Yankee]

.
You could get along quite nicely in the US without ever using the word 'shall'.

Basically, the word 'shall' is not used to build a future tense in American English -- we simply use 'will'.

In American English, we tend to use 'shall' mainly to make a suggestion in the form of a question ("Shall we go?"), or possibly to offer to do something (also in the form of a question: "Shall I help you with that?"). The use of the word 'shall' also exists in a few fixed phrases, and you'll occasionally find it in used in legal texts.

You would have to ask a Brit about the British usage of 'shall'.

If you do a search on this site, you will be able to find some previous discussions on the topic of 'shall' and 'will'.
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[Tweak]

thank you! :D

[Jamie (K)]

Once in a while you can hear someone, even in the United States, say, "I will and I shall," which means, "I want to do it, and I definitely will do it."

[Abonoor7]

how can I use the verbs shall & will correctly when they can be used instead of each one at the same time without any strict difference ?

[HamburgEnglish]

Think this way ....

"Will" is a willingness to do, a prediction, an expectation, a promise. impulse or command to a second party.

"shall" is a suggestion or a command to a third party (as indirectly used within legal contracts)

The explanation is not "all encompassing" and you will find deviations, but it will make sure you are not wrong ...

Rob
TOEIC Test Preparation by authorized administrators
See your level, see your weaknesses, know how much you need to learn, know when your ready.
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[Abonoor7]

Many thanks for your kind cooperation Mr.Rob

[Torsten]

[Cerberus™]

Perhaps it is ironical: Bart might want to sound affected, imitating old-fashioned or British usage..

[Torsten]

How would Bart know how to sound affected or British?

TOEIC listening, photographs: Pulling a rope

[Cerberus™]

Well, from television? I'm sure there are many television series whose language is either or both.

[Torsten]

How many British TV serials or series are there on American TV and why would Bart watch them? To me he doesn't seem to come across as a person who is interested in old-fashioned language or British grammar structures.

TOEIC listening, photographs: A student smiling

[Cerberus™]

Haha, well, the Simpsons is also watched by educated Americans who would appreciate the reference, and I have no reason to doubt that whoever writes the script for the Simpsons has some Bildung. It may or may not be realistic for an actual boy like Bart, but such realism isn't necessarily required or expected. Now that I think of it, an episode from Will & Grace comes to mind, where Grace says "awften" and "hwere" for often and where, which Will considers pretentious and affected. I am quite convinced that the average American will encounter such language and accents now and then.

[OxfordBlues]

There is actually quite a bit more to future expression than most people realise. Here is a link to probably the most complete discussion of the future tenses in English (including shall vs will):

http://calleteach.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/an-inventory-and-discussion-of-english-futurity.pdf
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[Bashoorah]

Hello,

Can you explain the usage of will and shall?

Thanks in advance

Regards,
Bashayer