shall - will

Shall and will are used to make statements and ask questions about the future.

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Shall and will are not usually pronounced in full when they come after a pronoun. When you write down what someone says, you usually represent shall or will as 'll and add it to the end of the pronoun.

He'll come back.

They'll spoil our picnic.

That'll be all right.

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Shall and will have the negative forms shall not and will not. In speech, these are usually shortened to shan't and won't .

I shan't ever do it again.

You won't hear much about it.

Won't you come back?

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It used to be considered correct to write shall after `I' or `we', and will after any other pronoun or noun group. However, most people now write will after `I' and `we', and this is not regarded as incorrect.

I'm afraid I will laugh.

We will be able to defend them.

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You do not use shall after any pronoun except `I' or `we'. You also do not use shall after a noun group. It used to be considered correct to use shall to express an intention or promise. For example, people used to say `I'm sorry I haven't returned the book you lent me. You shall have it back tomorrow'. However, this use now sounds old-fashioned. In modern English, people say `You will have it back tomorrow'.

You will have no further trouble.

You will hear nothing from me again.

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There are a few special cases in which you use shall, rather than `will':

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◊ suggestions

You can make a suggestion about what you and someone else should do by asking a question beginning with `Shall we...'.

Shall we go and see a film?

Shall we talk about something different?

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You can also suggest what you and someone else should do by using a sentence which begins with `Let's...' and ends with `...shall we?'

Let's try out one for size, shall we?

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◊ asking for advice

You can use shall I or shall we when you are asking for suggestions or advice.

What shall I give them for dinner?

Where shall we go for our drink?

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◊ offering

You can say `Shall I...' when you are offering to do something.

Shall I shut the door?

Shall I tell them to send the bill to you up here?

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Will also has some special uses:

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◊ requests

You can use will you to make a request.

Will you please let me know which pair of shoes this bitumen was found on?

Don't let this out, will you, Dixon?

See entry at ↑ Requests, orders, and instructions.

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◊ invitations

You can also use will you or the negative form won't you to make an invitation. Won't you is very polite.

Will you stay to lunch?

Won't you sit down, Inspector?

Glad to meet you, Mrs Swallow. Won't you take off your coat?

See entry at ↑ Invitations.

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◊ ability

Will is sometimes used to say that someone or something is able to do something.

This will cure anything.

The car won't go.

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◊ WARNING

You do not normally use shall or will in clauses beginning with words and expressions such as `when', `before', or `as soon as'. You do not say, for example, `I'll ring as soon as I shall get home'. Instead you use the simple present tense. You say `I'll ring as soon as I get home'.

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