My reading of
H.W. Fowler’s long treatise on the usage of “shall” and “will” (
The King’s English, 2nd ed., Chapter II.Syntax), along with the usage note for “shall” below by the
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, gives me the distinct, unavoidable impression that “shall” is essentially British English usage that American English largely avoids in favor of “will.” This impression is also corroborated by the long but non-expert discussion of “shall” and “will” in Wikipedia, which cites various sources from the United States and the United Kingdom. Although I couldn’t find a reliable reference that categorically says that “She
shall answer my question” is British usage, I am persuaded by the preponderance of my readings that this is indeed the case. I’d be glad to change my mind if some reliable authority could be cited that categorically says otherwise.
Below is the full text of the usage note on “shall” by the AHD:
Usage Note: The traditional rules for using
shall and
will prescribe a highly complicated pattern of use in which the meanings of the forms change according to the person of the subject. In the first person,
shall is used to indicate simple futurity:
I shall (not will) have to buy another ticket. In the second and third persons, the same sense of futurity is expressed by
will:
The comet will (not shall) return in 87 years. Y
ou will (not shall)probably encounter some heavy seas when you round the point. The use of
will in the first person and of
shall in the second and third may express determination, promise, obligation, or permission, depending on the context. Thus
I will leave tomorrow indicates that the speaker is determined to leave;
You and she shall leave tomorrow is likely to be interpreted as a command. The sentence
You shall have your money expresses a promise (“I will see that you get your money”), whereas
You will have your money makes a simple prediction. • Such, at least, are the traditional rules.
The English and some traditionalists about usage are probably the only people who follow these rules, and then not with perfect consistency. In America, people who try to adhere to them run the risk of sounding pretentious or haughty. Americans normally use will to express most of the senses reserved for shall in English usage (Boldfacing mine)
. Americans use
shall chiefly in first person invitations and questions that request an opinion or agreement, such as
Shall we go?and in certain fixed expressions, such as
We shall overcome. In formal style, Americans use
shall to express an explicit obligation, as in
Applicants shall provide a proof of residence, though this sense is also expressed by
must or
should. In speech the distinction that the English signal by the choice of
shall or
will may be rendered by stressing the auxiliary, as in
I will leave tomorrow (“I intend to leave”); by choosing another auxiliary, such as
must or
have to; or by using an adverb such as
certainly. • In addition to its sense of obligation,
shall also can convey high moral seriousness that derives in part from its extensive use in the King James Bible, as in “
Righteousness shall go before him and shall set us in the way of his steps” (Ps 85:13) and “
He that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Mt 23:12). The prophetic overtones that
shall bears with it have no doubt led to its use in some of the loftiest rhetoric in English. This may be why Lincoln chose to use it instead of
will in the Gettysburg Address:
“government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”You can read Wikipedia’s detailed discussion of the usage of “shall” and “will” by
clicking this link.
Do let me know what you think after going over these resources.
