Uses of Shall

Shall Use, Examples, and Exercises

Assertive sentences, shall in the first person simply gives information about the future action; as,

  • I shall help you. We shall go together.
  • I shall be rewarded. We shall pass.
  • I shall be sixteen on Monday.
  • I shall be much obliged to you.
  • We shall sing and dance together.

Shall in the Second and Third Persons is used to denote :

  1. A promise; as,
    You shall have a holiday tomorrow.
    You shall have a medal if you win.
    He shall be rewarded if he stands first in English.
  2. A command’, as,
    Thou shalt not steal. [= Thou art commanded not to steal.]
    He shall go [=He is commanded to go.]
    Thous/fcrfMttvethy neighbour as thyself.
  3. A threat’, as,
    If you do this, you shall be dismissed.
    He shall be punished if he does that again.
  4. Determination’, as,
    You shall go there. [= You will be obliged to go there.]
    He shall obey me. [= He will be obliged to obey me.]
    You shall apologise for that.
  5. Compulsion’, as,
    You shall come to school at ten.
    Members shall pay their fees by the 10th of every month.

Uses of Shall

In Interrogative Sentences —

  • Shall indicates simple futurity, permission or desire of the person spoken to in the First Person; as,
    Shall I be Wasting in Despair? (Simple Futurity)
    Shall I Open the Window? [=Do You Wish me to Open the Window?]
    Shall we go out? [=Do You permit us to go out?]
    Shall I Thread the needle for you? [Do you want me to thread the needle for you?]
    Shall we carry the box into the house for you?
  • Shall Indicates simple futurity in second person; as,
    Shall you go there?      (Simple Futurity)
  • Shall expresses the command or desire of the person spoken to in the
    Third Person; as,
    Shall he go? [=Do you wish or command him to go?]
    Shall the porter to carry your box upstairs?]
    Shall the messenger wait? [Do You want the messenger to wait?]

Anomalous Finites Exercises

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