shall

shall
modal verb (3rd singular present shall)
1》 (in the first person) expressing the future tense.
2》 expressing a strong assertion or intention.
3》 expressing an instruction or command.
4》 used in questions indicating offers or suggestions.
Origin
OE sceal, of Gmc origin, from a base meaning 'owe'.
Usage
There are traditional rules as to when to use shall and will. These state that when forming the future tense, shall should be used with I and we (I shall be late), while will should be used with you, he, she, it, and they (he will not be there). However, when expressing determination or a command this rule is reversed: will is used with I and we (I will not tolerate this), and shall is used with you, he, she, it, and they (you shall go to school). In practice, however, these rules are not followed so strictly and the contracted forms (I'll, she'll, etc.) are frequently used instead, especially in spoken and informal contexts.

English new terms dictionary. 2014.

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  • Shall — Shall, v. i. & auxiliary. [imp. {Should}.] [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen, pres. zal, imp. zoude, zou, OHG. solan,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shall — [ ʃəl, strong ʃæl ] modal verb *** Shall is usually followed by an infinitive without to : I shall explain everything later. Sometimes it is used without a following infinitive: I have never visited Africa and probably never shall. Shall does not …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • shall — verb as required will, by compulsion will, by imperative will, mandatorily will, obligatorily will associated concepts: shall be lawful, shall be legal, shall become, shall give, shall have, shall not, shall perform, shall work Burton s Legal… …   Law dictionary

  • shall — W1S3 [ʃəl strong ʃæl] modal v negative short form shan t [: Old English; Origin: sceal] 1.) shall I/we...? spoken used to make a suggestion, or ask a question that you want the other person to decide about ▪ Shall I open the window? ▪ Shall we… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • shall — [shal] v.aux. pt.should [ME schal, pl. schullen < OE sceal, inf. sceolan, akin to Ger sollen < IE base * (s)kel , to be indebted > Lith skeliù, to owe] 1. used in the first person to indicate simple future time [I shall probably go… …   English World dictionary

  • shall — ► MODAL VERB (3rd sing. present shall) 1) (in the first person) expressing the future tense. 2) expressing a strong assertion or intention. 3) expressing an instruction or command. 4) used in questions indicating offers or suggestions. USAGE… …   English terms dictionary

  • shall — (v.) O.E. sceal I owe/he owes, will have to, ought to, must (infinitive sculan, pt. sceolde), a common Germanic preterite present verb, from P.Gmc. *skal , *skul (Cf. O.S. sculan, O.N., Swed. skola, M.Du. sullen, O.H.G. solan, Ger. sollen, Goth.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • shall — [[t]ʃəl, STRONG ʃæl[/t]] ♦♦ (Shall is a modal verb. It is used with the base form of a verb.) 1) MODAL You use shall with I and we in questions in order to make offers or suggestions, or to ask for advice. Shall I get the keys?... I bought some… …   English dictionary

  • shall */*/*/ — strong UK [ʃæl] / US weak UK [ʃəl] / US modal verb Summary: Shall is usually followed by an infinitive without to : I shall explain everything later. Sometimes it is used without a following infinitive: I have never visited America and probably… …   English dictionary

  • shall — /shal/; unstressed /sheuhl/, auxiliary v., pres. sing. 1st pers. shall, 2nd shall or (Archaic) shalt, 3rd shall, pres. pl. shall; past sing. 1st pers. should, 2nd …   Universalium

  • shall */*/*/ — weak [ʃəl] , strong [ʃæl] modal verb summary: ■ Shall is usually followed by an infinitive without ‘to : I shall explain everything later. Sometimes it is used without a following infinitive: I have never visited America and probably never shall …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

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