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shall
[ shal; unstressed shuhl ]
auxiliary verb
- plan to, intend to, or expect to:
I shall go later.
- will have to, is determined to, or definitely will:
You shall do it. He shall do it.
- (in laws, directives, etc.) must; is or are obliged to:
The meetings of the council shall be public.
- (used interrogatively in questions, often in invitations):
Shall we go?
shall
/ ʃəl; ʃæl /
verb
- esp withI or we as subject used as an auxiliary to make the future tense Compare will 1
we shall see you tomorrow
- withyou, he, she, it, they, or a noun as subject
- used as an auxiliary to indicate determination on the part of the speaker, as in issuing a threat
you shall pay for this!
- used as an auxiliary to indicate compulsion, now esp in official documents
the Tenant shall return the keys to the Landlord
- used as an auxiliary to indicate certainty or inevitability
our day shall come
- 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
Confusables Note
Word History and Origins
Origin of shall1
Word History and Origins
Origin of shall1
Example Sentences
"Once I’ve done that, then I shall take a deep breath and then I’ll look up, but until I finish it I’m not bothering about what comes next."
Wainwright is accustomed to bringing high culture into, shall we say, less than highbrow arenas; after all, his sublime version of “Hallelujah” originated on the soundtrack for “Shrek.”
He pointed out that, under the Constitution, “the times, places and manner” of federal elections “shall be prescribed” by the states, though Congress may “make or alter” the state’s laws.
"My comfort has come from my family and from Alex’s family, and as a very tight unit, we’re finding our way to get through this – and that’s what we shall do."
They somehow forgot the implications of their decision found in the fourth clause of Article II, Section 3, which states that the president “shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”
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