shall

[ shal; unstressed shuhl ]

auxiliary verb

, imperative, infinitive, and participles lacking.

2nd: should or (Archaic) shouldst or shouldestpresent plural: shall3rd: should3rd: shall2nd: shall or (Archaic) shaltpresent singular 1st person: shallpast plural: shouldpast singular 1st person: should

1. plan to, intend to, or expect to:

   I shall go later.

2. will have to, is determined to, or definitely will:

   You shall do it. He shall do it.

3. (in laws, directives, etc.) must; is or are obliged to:

   The meetings of the council shall be public.

4. (used interrogatively in questions, often in invitations):

   Shall we go?

shall

/ ʃəl; ʃæl /

verb

1. esp withI or we as subject used as an auxiliary to make the future tense Compare will 1

   we shall see you tomorrow

2. withyou, he, she, it, they, or a noun as subject
   1. used as an auxiliary to indicate determination on the part of the speaker, as in issuing a threat

      you shall pay for this!

   2. used as an auxiliary to indicate compulsion, now esp in official documents

      the Tenant shall return the keys to the Landlord

   3. 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

   he doubts whether he shall be in tomorrow

   I don't think I shall ever see her again

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

Confusables Note

The traditional rule of usage guides dates from the 17th century and says that to denote future time shall is used in the first person ( I shall leave. We shall go ) and will in all other persons ( You will be there, won't you? He will drive us to the airport. They will not be at the meeting ). The rule continues that to express determination, will is used in the first person ( We will win the battle ) and shall in the other two persons ( You shall not bully us. They shall not pass ). Whether this rule was ever widely observed is doubtful. Today, will is used overwhelmingly in all three persons and 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 writing or speaking, 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. Most educated native users of American English do not follow the textbook rule in making a choice between shall and will. should.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shall¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English shal, Old English sceal; cognate with Old Saxon skal, Old High German scal, Old Norse skal; compare German soll, Dutch zal

Word History and Origins

Origin of shall¹

Old English sceal; related to Old Norse skal, Old High German scal, Dutch zal

Example Sentences

We shall leave aside the question of how these men live with themselves.

From Salon

“We shall not pay any attention,” he told the BBC World Service, since Russia had issued similar warnings about “many other systems and weapons we received”.

From BBC

Thanking the many lawyers for their "excellent contributions," he concluded the hearing by saying: "It's a very difficult matter and it's a very important matter," adding, "I shall issue my judgment in due course."

From BBC

The earliest on the program, “Jefferson and Liberty” from 1800, included the verse: “Here strangers from thousand shores/Compell’d by tyranny to roam;/Shall find, amidst abundant stores,/A nobler and a happier home.”

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Ramaswamy particularly loves an obscure 1977 law passed by President Jimmy Carter, the Reorganization Act, which states that “the president shall from time to time examine the organization of all agencies and determine what changes are necessary to carry forth the policies in this statute.”

From New York Times