Shall and Will

“I never hear anyone use the word ‘shall’ anymore. When is it correct to use ‘shall’ instead of ‘will’?” M.D. asks Ms. Picky.

The truth is, M. D., that, for most Americans, “shall”  has become obsolete. A likely contributory cause is that Americans are fond of using contractions, and, since “shall” and “will” are indistinguishable in their contracted forms, a listener has no way of knowing whether the speaker intends his “I’ll” to mean “I will” or “I shall.” 


There are a few occasions when “shall” should be used—or, at least, when “shall” can be used, or used to be used—but, in American English, it has been almost entirely subsumed by “will.” Here, nevertheless, is an explanation of the differences in correct usage and meaning.

Both “shall” and “will” are used in future-tense conjugations, and fall into the category of auxiliary, or “helping,” verbs. Correctly, however, “shall” is used with the first-person singular and plural, and “will” is used with the second- and third-person singular and plural. The conjugation of the verb “to go,” in the simple future tense, for example, is:

Singular

1^st person: I shall go 

2^nd person: You will go

3^rd person: He [She, It] will go

Plural

1^st person: We shall go

2^nd person: You will go

3^rd person: They will go  

Inversion to Express Determination

When the correct forms, above, are inverted, however, so that “shall” is used for second and third person, and “will” used for first person, the meaning of the statement is changed. Then, instead of simply expressing a future expectation, it expresses determination. “I will go” means not just that “I expect to go,” but, rather, that “I am determined to go, in spite of other considerations,” and “you shall go,” which is also inverted from the normal usage, has within it the same sense of determination.

Example:

Mother: Whatever are you crying about, daughter?
Persephone: Father has said he doesn’t want me to go marry Horatio!

Mother: Oh, but if you love him, my darling, you shall marry him.

Inversion to Express Legal Obligation

The party of the first part shall assume the full financial burden until such time as....

So there you are: If you want to express your determination outwardly, avoid contractions, and invert “shall” and “will.” But if you want to appear more agreeable than you actually are, go ahead and use the contractions “I’ll,” “you’ll,” “we’ll,” and “they’ll,” and no one will know just how determined you really are—like smiling and nodding, but keeping your fingers crossed behind your back.

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Bulletin Board

The question today, not surprisingly in these weeks of horrific financial turmoil, is about money. A.M. asks if money should be treated as singular or plural. The answer is . . . yes. Money should be treated as singular when it is being considered as a mass:

Money is important.

But it often treated as plural when it is being considered as separate units, e.g., of currency:

Some Asian monies are experiencing inflation.

And while we’re on the subject of masses and single units, let’s talk about “much” and “many” and “less” and “fewer.” “Much” and “less” are used for things that are considered as a mass, but “many” and “fewer” are used for things that are considered as individual units:

much debt, much exposure, more haircuts

many bonds, many banks

less money, less solvency

fewer euros, fewer solutions

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