Shall vs. Will

By Jaxson

  • Shall (verb)

    Used before a verb to indicate the simple future tense in the first person singular or plural.

    “I shall sing in the choir tomorrow.”

    “I hope that we shall win the game.”

  • Shall (verb)

    Used similarly to indicate determination or obligation in the second and third persons singular or plural.

    “(determination): You shall go to the ball!”

    “(obligation): Citizens shall provide proof of identity.”

  • Shall (verb)

    Used in questions with the first person singular or plural to suggest a possible future action.

    “Shall I help you with that?”

    “Shall we go out later?”

    “Let us examine that, shall we?”

  • Shall (verb)

    To owe.

    “rfex|en”

  • Will (verb)

    To wish, desire (something). 9th-18th c.

    “Do what you will.”

  • Will (verb)

    To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that). 9th-19th c.

  • Will (verb)

    To habitually do (a given action). from 9th c.

  • Will (verb)

    To choose to (do something), used to express intention but without any temporal connotations (+ bare infinitive). from 10th c.

  • Will (verb)

    Used to express the future tense, sometimes with some implication of volition when used in the first person. Compare shall. from 10th c.

  • Will (verb)

    To be able to, to have the capacity to. from 14th c.

    “Unfortunately, only one of these gloves will actually fit over my hand.”

  • Will (verb)

    To wish, desire. 9th–19th c.

  • Will (verb)

    To instruct (that something be done) in one’s will. from 9th c.

  • Will (verb)

    To try to make (something) happen by using one’s will (intention). from 10th c.

    “All the fans were willing their team to win the game.”

  • Will (verb)

    To bequeath (something) to someone in one’s will (legal document). from 15th c.

    “He willed his stamp collection to the local museum.”

  • Will (noun)

    One’s independent faculty of choice; the ability to be able to exercise one’s choice or intention. from 9th c.

    “Of course, man’s will is often regulated by his reason.”

  • Will (noun)

    One’s intention or decision; someone’s orders or commands. from 9th c.

    “Eventually I submitted to my parents’ will.”

  • Will (noun)

    The act of choosing to do something; a person’s conscious intent or volition. from 10th c.

    “Most creatures have a will to live.”

  • Will (noun)

    A formal declaration of one’s intent concerning the disposal of one’s property and holdings after death; the legal document stating such wishes. from 14th c.

  • Will (noun)

    That which is desired; one’s wish. from 10th c.

  • Will (noun)

    Desire, longing. (Now generally merged with later senses.) from 9th c.

    “He felt a great will to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.”

Wiktionary

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