The modal verb Shall in English

In present day English shall is not a purely modal verb. It always combines its modal meaning with the function of an auxiliary verb of the future tense. As a rule shall as a modal verb is not translated into Russian, its meaning is rendered by emphatic intonation. The modal verb shall is not used much nowadays. It may still be found in formal speech and some legal documents.

Shall expresses:

  • Compulsion, strict order, prohibition. In this meaning it is always used with the second and third persons and has a strong stress
    • When he comes in, nobody shall say a word
  • Threat or warning. In this meaning it is also used in the second and third persons and with a weak stress
    • You shall pay for this, you shall
  • It is also used with the second and third persons and with a weak stress
    • You shall not be punished
  • Suggestion in interrogative sentences
    • Shall I translate the text?
  • The most common use of shall in everyday English is in questions that offer or suggest
    • What shall I do with your mail when it arrives?
  • Promises
    • You shall be the first person to know
  • Confirmation
    • I shall meet you there at 9
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