Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Trouble With Tenses - Shall We, Will We, Should We Dance?

In questions, the choice between shall and will, is more complicated, since should and would come into the equation as well. Which form you use depends on the kind of question.
Questions that seek advice or information, or make a suggestion. The rules here are as follows:
X. Use shall before I or we – What shall I/we do? Shall we dance? Shall I open the window?
X. Use should (or sometimes shall) before he, she, it, you, they, the cat, Mary, and so on – Should/Shall Peter cook the meal, instead? Should he put another log on the fire?
Questions that put forward a request. Use Will you . . .? or Would you . . .? – Will you lock up when you leave? Would you help me to lift the table, please? Would you move the lamp?
Questions that seek information about the future. If you are asking for a prediction that does not depends on the speaker or the subject of the sentence, use will – What will I/we need? Will they believe us? Will I pass my exams?
If, however, you are asking for information about the future that depends at least partly on the speaker or the subject of the sentence, follow these rules:
X. Use shall for I and we – When shall we three meet again? What shall I do tomorrow?
X. Use will for he, she, it, Harry, the cat, they, and you – Why will he do that? How will you deal with this situation?
Again, there are exceptions to the rules. Instead of Shall I open the window?, North Americans often use the form Should I (rather than Shall I), and Scottish and Irish people Will I open the window?
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