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shall
verb | \shl, shal\
Popularity: Top 30% of words

Examples: shall in a Sentence

Usage guide: shall vs. will

Definition of shall
past should \shd, shud\; present singular and plural shall

a u x i l i a r y v e r b
1 archaic
a : will have to : must
b : will be able to : can
2 a used to express a command or exhortation you shall go
b used in laws, regulations, or directives to express what is mandatory it shall be unlawful to carry firearms
3 a used to express what is inevitable or seems likely to happen in the future we shall have to be ready we shall
see
b used to express simple futurity when shall we expect you
4 used to express determination they shall not pass
i n t r a n s i t i v e v e r b
archaic : will go
he to England shall along with you William Shakespeare

See shall defined for English-language learners

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shall vs. will


From the reams of pronouncements written about the distinction between shall and willdating back as far as the
17th centuryit is clear that the rules laid down have never very accurately reflected actual usage. The nationalistic
statements of 18th and 19th century British grammarians, who commonly cited the misuses of the Irish, the Scots,
and occasionally the Americans, suggest that the traditional rules may have come closest to the usage of southern
England. Some modern commentators believe that English usage is still the closest to the traditionally prescribed
norms. Most modern commentators allow that will is more common in nearly all uses. The entries for shall and will
in this dictionary show current usage.

Examples of shall in a Sentence


you shall do as I say

Origin and Etymology of shall


Middle English shal (1st & 3rd singular present indicative), from Old English sceal; akin to Old High German scal (1st
& 3rd singular present indicative) ought to, must, Lithuanian skola debt

shall Synonyms
Synonyms
have (to), must, ought (to), need, should
Related Words
will

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S H A L L D e n e d f o r E n g l i s h L a n g u a g e

shall
verb
Definition of shall for English Language Learners

used to say that something is expected to happen in the future


used to ask for someone's opinion
used to give a command or to say that you will or will not allow something to happen

S H A L L D e n e d f o r K i d s

shall
helping verb | \shl, shal\
Definition of shall for Students

past should \shd, shud\; present singular and plural shall


1 : am or are going to or expecting to : will
Violators shall be dealt with most harshly. Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth
2 : is or are forced to : must They shall not pass.

Learn More about shall


Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shall
Spanish Central: Translation of shall
Nglish: Translation of shall for Spanish speakers
Britannica English: Translation of shall for Arabic speakers

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