“Shall Shock” How to exploit the shall/will dynamic duo.
“Shall Shock” How to exploit the shall/will dynamic duo.
This is a brief grammar post I’m presenting at TheWritePractice.com, but I thought I’d test it out here. So feel free to proofread and make suggestions.
Unless you are auditioning for a role in Downton Abbey, you probably don’t use the word “shall” in your everyday discourse– at least not correctly. I’m no purist grammar Nazi and am also not suggesting you eschew all your favorite vernacular patterns just for the sake of being, you know, correct. But stashing “shall” as an addition to your grammatical arsenal may prove useful in your craft.
You may need to reach for this almost extinct word usage should you decide for example in a period piece set any time before grammatical standards slouched to match the neanderthal posture of the teens who abuse them. The skill could also prove useful should your plot line amble into a smoke-filled exclusive club, or stumble upon an erudite ivy league subculture. Or should you desire to introduce a British character to your ensemble, or to paint a character as cultured, educated, or even pretentious.
The lesson you learned in school and then willfully forgot to apply to your speech, was simple and formulaic. You have heard it said “shall” is for first person forms and “will” is for second and third person address. E.g. “I shall, we shall…while you, they, he, she it, and everybody else will.”
But I say to you: there is a subtle nuance to the rule that most overlook. The usage of “shall” and “will” becomes inverted in any instance in which one wishes to emphasize a future certainty that disregards the viewpoint/opposition of the subject, e.g. a promise, a threat, or an emphatic command.
Huh?
What that means is that “I shall” is most commonly correct, unless you want to emphasize the determined decision to perform a future act. It then is correct to employ “I will” or “You shall.”
Here’s a couple of examples.
Standard use indicating a simple future:
“I shall write correctly from now on, and you will be impressed with me.”
“Ha! Shall I really? We shall see about that. I doubt that you will be consistent in that promise, and therefore I shan’t be impressed.”
Emphatic use to show a disregard for the viewpoint of the subject:
“No! I will write correctly from now on, and mark my words, you shall be impressed!”
As you are getting used to this, it may be helpful to use italics when you try the emphatic use, to remind you to consider substituting shall/will with its counterpart.
