SHALL

Carlos Ramos
 DEFINITION
The modal verb SHALL is the formal alternative of WILL,
but not in all of its uses, more focused to talk about the
future. Commonly used to ask for opinions in
combination with the subjects I and WE in British
English.
 DEFINITION
In the past, SHALL was often used as an alternative to
WILL, and you can find many examples of SHALL in
famous literary works. But in modern English we
usually prefer WILL for affirmative and negative
sentences. However, we still use SHALL to form
questions with I and WE, especially in British English.

Should I read it? – ¿Debo leerlo?

Can I read it? – ¿Puedo leerlo?
Shall I read it? – ¿Lo leo?
 (+) STRUCTURE
☺ + SHALL + ACTION VERB + COMP

I shall start my essay today by 12

You shall not being the test yet
He shall go to the mall
She shall go to work immediately
 (-) STRUCTURE
☺ + SHALL + NOT + ACTION VERB + COMP
SHAN’T The contraction form, ‘shan’t’, is
something we generally use in spoken
English but rarely in its written form.

I shall not help, I’m busy

You shall not talk about the issues with them
He shall not get in touch with Lorena
Valery shall not tell bad words
 (?) STRUCTURE
SHALL + ☺ + ACTION VERB + COMP + ?

Shall I borrow him money?

Shall you lend me money?
Shall we dance?
Shall Cristian save money for the rent already?
Shall Jonathan write his essay today?
Yes, he shall | No, he shall not
 USES
• TO MAKE OFFERS USING I/WE
Shall I make some lunch?
Shall we help you with your bags?
Where shall I drop you off? Outside your office?
Shall I water your plants while you’re away?

• TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS USING I/WE

Shall we go to the park later?
Shall we have something to eat?
Who shall we invite to the party?
What shall we do after we’ve watched the film?
 USES
• TO EXPRESS FORMAL OBLIGATIONS
Applicants shall provide evidence of their qualifications.
Guests shall not remove anything from the rooms.

• TO MAKE A PROMISE
I shall never forget the help you gave me.
I shall not be late.
We shall do everything we can to solve the problem.
He shall not be long. Do have a seat while you wait.
 USES
• TO DESCRIBE THE FUTURE VERY FORMALLY
As a general rule, use WILL for affirmative and negative
sentences about the future. Use WILL for requests too. If you
want to make an offer or suggestion with I/we, use SHALL in the
question form. For very formal statements, especially to
describe obligations, use SHALL.

We shall overcome this difficult moment.

Mr. Lopez shall begin his talk at 2:30pm.
Access to the city center shall be limited today due to the
marathon.