Shall or Will?

What is the difference between "shall" and "will"?

Nowadays, Americans tend not to use "shall" to form the future tense. In British English, "shall" is still used to form the future tense, particularly when the subject is "I" or "we." However, most Brits now use "will." This is a relatively new development. shall or will?

This graph shows the recent decline of "shall" in British English.
Create this graph yourself using Google's Ngram Viewer.

The Difference between "Shall" and "Will"

Traditionally, there was the following distinction:

Use "shall" when the subject is "I" or "we."

I shall use my discretion. (traditionally)

Use "will" when the subject is not "I" or "we."

He will use his discretion. (traditionally)

This distinction still exists if the sentence is a question. For example:

Shall we discuss this matter tomorrow?
Will they discuss this matter tomorrow?

Of interest, if you need to convey that something must happen (typically out of a sense of duty), then you can swap "shall" for "will" (and vice versa). For example:

I will use my discretion.
He shall use his discretion.

You can still use this technique, but, in truth, the nuance sought is likely to go unnoticed by most of your readers. (There is more on this below.)

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More about "Shall" and "Will"

The main use of the auxiliary verbs "will" and "shall" is to form the future tense. For example:

I will arrive on Tuesday.
I shall arrive on Tuesday.

However, these days, the use of "shall" to form the future tense is becoming rarer (especially in the US), and it is safe to use "will" every time. In fact, to say it's "safe to use "will" every time" is understating the case. Unless you're asking a question, it is largely expected (particularly in the US).

That said, it might be useful to know the traditional rules for using "will" and "shall" because you never know when you might have to showcase your grammar skills or write to an audience of grammar pedants.

The Traditional Rules for Forming the Future Tense with "Will" and "Shall"

The traditional rules for forming the future tense with "will" and "shall" are as follows:

Person	Pronoun Noun	Future Tense	Example
1st Person Singular	I	shall	I shall be there soon.
2nd Person Singular	You	will	You will be there soon.
3rd Person Singular	He, She, It	will	He will be there soon.
1st Person Plural	We	shall	We shall be there soon.
2nd Person Plural	You	will	You will be there soon.
3rd Person Plural	They	will	They will be there soon.

Just to reiterate though, nowadays, it is okay to use "will" in every instance.

Conveying a Sense of Importance or Duty with "Will" and "Shall"

If something is to happen in the future and you want to convey the idea that it must definitely happen (especially out of a sense of duty), then it all switches. In other words, it goes like this:

Person	Pronoun Noun	Future Tense	Example
1st Person Singular	I	will	I will attend the meeting.
2nd Person Singular	You	shall	You shall attend the meeting.
3rd Person Singular	He, She, It	shall	He shall attend the meeting.
1st Person Plural	We	will	We will attend the meeting.
2nd Person Plural	You	shall	You shall attend the meeting.
3rd Person Plural	They	shall	They shall attend the meeting.

Look at these examples:

I will guarantee your safe passage.

shall

You shall ask a question on recruitment at the end of the presentation.

will

Nowadays, this is just a point of academic interest. Few of your readers are likely to spot that you've switched from "will" to "shall" (or vice versa) to convey a sense of importance or duty.

"Shall" Is Still Used in Questions

From what you've read so far, you might be getting the idea that "shall" is on its last legs as a word. You might be thinking it's hot on the heels of "whom" to reach the word graveyard where words like "hither" and "whence" have lain to rest. However, that's not accurate. "Shall" is alive and well when it comes to questions posed in the first person (i.e., with "I" and "we"). For example:

Shall I talk in a Scottish accent during the meeting?
What shall we talk about?
Was that the dog? Shall I open the window?

"Will" and "Shall" in Contractions

When talking or writing informally, you might not have to worry about whether to use "shall" or "will" because the contractions are likely to be the same.

Full Versions	Contraction
I shall I will	I'll
You shall You will	You'll
He/She/It shall He/She/It will	He'll / She'll / It'll
We shall We will	We'll
You shall You will	You'll
They shall They will	They'll

This overlap does not occur with "will not" and "shall not" (the negative versions). The contraction for "shall not" is "shan't." The contraction for "will not" is "won't."

Interactive Exercise

Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.

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