In my column last week I discussed different ways of expressing future time (futurity).
Two regular readers and critics of the column, Ramakrishnasayee and Lawrence, in their feedback have mentioned that readers will benefit if the usage of the word ‘shall’ is discussed in the subsequent column. Valid feedback, indeed. Another reader had sent in this query: “Is shall an outdated word?” A good question. Thus, the focus of this week’s column is on the different meanings of the word ‘shall’. The word ‘shall’ has become a very formal term and is used mainly in legal documents such as tenancy agreements and lease contracts. In legal English, ‘shall’ means ‘is legally bound to/not to’ or ‘has legal duty to/not to’.
Here are examples:
The tenant shall confine his laundries within the drying area provided for.
The tenant shall not make any alterations in or additions to the said premises...
Though it is used in many legal documents, advocates of plain English say that the word ‘must’ be used instead of ‘shall’ to avoid ambiguity and convey the meaning effectively. Their contention is that the term ‘shall’ denotes obligation, but it may be confused with prediction of future action. In the examples above, the meaning will be clearer if ‘must’ is used instead of ‘shall’.
The tenant must confine his laundries within the drying area provided for.
The tenant must not make any alterations in or additions to the said premises...
The meaning of the word has changed over the years. Here are other meanings of the word.
i) to make a suggestion:
Shall I switch on the AC?
Shall we meet the Principal?
ii) to say that something will certainly happen:
I shall meet him in person and get it done.
We shall overcome. We shall overcome someday.
iii) to ask for advice:
We are not in a position to take the examination. What shall we do?
It is not easy to solve the problem. How shall we proceed?
iv) to express strong intention:
I shall correct the scripts and let you know the results.
Don’t worry. We shall help you overcome your problem.
To make our communication clearer and more effective, we should use ‘will’ to talk about future action, ‘must’ to talk about obligation, ‘must not’ to indicate prohibition, and ‘should’ to indicate obligation but not absolute necessity.
“The future is always beginning now.” — Mark Strand
Dr Albert P’ Rayan is an ELT Resource Person and Professor of English. He can be contacted at rayanal@yahoo.co.uk