Shall and Will

The nice distinctions that should be made between these two auxiliaries are, in some parts of the English-speaking world, often disregarded, and that, too, by persons of high culture. The proper use of shall and will can much better be learned from example than from precept. Many persons who use them, and also should and would , with well-nigh unerring correctne , do so unconsciously; it is simply habit with them, and they, though their culture may be limited, will receive a sort of verbal shock from Biddy's inquiry, " Will I put the kettle on, ma'am?" when your Irish or Scotch counte would not be in the least disturbed by it. Shall , in an affirmative sentence, in the first person, and WILL in the second and third persons, merely announce future action . Thus, "I shall go to town to-morrow." "I shall not; I shall wait for better weather." "We shall be glad to see you." "I shall soon be twenty." "We shall set out early, and shall try to arrive by noon." "You will be pleased." "You will soon be twenty." "You will find him honest." "He will go with us." Shall , in an affirmative sentence, in the second and third persons, announces the speaker's intention to control . Thus, "You shall hear me out." "You shall go, sick or well." "He shall be my heir." "They shall go, whether they want to go or not." Will , in the first person, expre es a promise, announces the speaker's intention to control, proclaims a determination . Thus, "I will [I promise to] a ist you." "I will [I am determined to] have my right." "We will [we promise to] come to you in the morning." Shall , in an interrogative sentence, in the first and third persons, consults the will or judgment of another; in the second person, it inquires concerning the intention or future action of another . Thus, " Shall I go with you?" "When shall we see you again?" "When shall I receive it?" "When shall I get well?" "When shall we get there?" " Shall he come with us?" " Shall you demand indemnity?" " Shall you go to town to-morrow?" "What shall you do about it?" Will , in an interrogative sentence, in the second person, asks concerning the wish, and, in the third person, concerning the purpose or future action of others . Thus, " Will you have an apple?" " Will you go with me to my uncle's?" " Will he be of the party?" " Will they be willing to receive us?" "When will he be here?" Will can not be used interrogatively in the first person singular or plural. We can not say, " Will I go?" " Will I help you?" " Will I be late?" " Will we get there in time?" " Will we see you again soon?" Official courtesy, in order to avoid the semblance of compulsion, conveys its commands in the you-will form instead of the strictly grammatical you-shall form. It says, for example, "You will proceed to Key West, where you will find further instructions awaiting you." A clever writer on the use of shall and will says that whatever concerns one's beliefs, hopes, fears, likes, or dislikes, can not be expre ed in conjunction with I will . Are there no exceptions to this rule? If I say, "I think I shall go to Philadelphia to-morrow," I convey the impre ion that my going depends upon circumstances beyond my control; but if I say, "I think I will go to Philadelphia to-morrow," I convey the impre ion that my going depends upon circumstances within my control—that my going or not depends on mere inclination. We certainly must say, "I fear that I shall lose it"; "I hope that I shall be well"; "I believe that I shall have the ague"; "I hope that I shall not be left alone"; "I fear that we shall have bad weather"; "I shall dislike the country"; "I shall like the performance." The writer referred to asks, "How can one say, 'I will have the headache'?" I answer, Very easily, as every young woman knows. Let us see: "Mary, you know you promised John to drive out with him to-morrow; how shall you get out of it?" "Oh, I will have the headache!" We request that people will do thus or so, and not that they shall . Thus, "It is requested that no one will leave the room." Shall is rarely, if ever, used for will ; it is will that is used for shall . Expre ions like the following are common: "Where will you be next week?" "I will be at home." "We will have dinner at six o'clock." "How will you go about it?" "When will you begin?" "When will you set out?" "What will you do with it?" In all such expre ions, when it is a question of mere future action on the part of the person speaking or spoken to, the auxiliary must be shall , and not will . Should and would follow the regimen of shall and will . Would is often used for should ; should rarely for would . Correct speakers say, "I should go to town to-morrow if I had a horse." "I should not; I should wait for better weather." "We should be glad to see you." "We should have started earlier, if the weather had been clear." "I should like to go to town, and would go if I could." "I would a ist you if I could." "I should have been ill if I had gone." "I would I were home again!" "I should go fishing to-day if I were home." "I should so like to go to Europe!" "I should prefer to see it first." "I should be delighted." "I should be glad to have you sup with me." "I knew that I should be ill." "I feared that I should lose it." "I hoped that I should see him." "I thought I should have the ague." "I hoped that I should not be left alone." "I was afraid that we should have bad weather." "I knew I should dislike the country." "I should not like to do it, and will not [determination] unle compelled to."