# Shall **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 29, 2007, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986 "2007-06-29T23:18:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/1 "2007-06-29T23:18:02Z")
Does anybody still use the word “shall”? I don’t even remember the last time I heard it. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/2 "2007-06-29T23:19:54Z")
I do. It doesn’t come up often, but I do. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/3 "2007-06-29T23:26:19Z")
I still use it. I shall use it in this very post. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/4 "2007-06-30T00:07:36Z")
Me! I shall often use it in general conversation. I like shall. And shan’t. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/5 "2007-06-30T00:24:54Z")
IIRC, in one of their rules revisions a few years ago, the US Golf Association replaced all instances of “shall” in the rulebook with “must”. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/6 "2007-06-30T02:36:06Z")
[QUOTE=Sierra Indigo] Me! I shall often use it in general conversation. I like shall. And shan’t. [/QUOTE] Same here…shall and shan’t are part of my everyday vocabulary. Some find it odd, but I compensate by making sure to use “bizatch” a lot as well. ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/7 "2007-06-30T02:50:46Z")
I like to use _shall_ and _shan’t_. In response to things like “Cyn, are you going to change that IV?” I grandly answer “I shall.” Seldom does my LVN throw rocks at me. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/8 "2007-06-30T03:20:02Z")
Not only are shall and shan’t both actively a part of my vocabulary, my children use them and have no idea that they might be in the least bit uncommon. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/9 "2007-06-30T04:27:23Z")
‘May’ ‘Should’ and ‘Shall’ are important words in many documents, particularly when those documents pertain to worker behavior where safety is concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/10 "2007-06-30T04:37:53Z")
I use “shall” too. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/11 "2007-06-30T06:27:39Z")
I use “shall” at times, as in ‘Shall we go?’ But “shan’t” strikes me as a bit pretentious, unless it’s done tongue-in-cheek in response to someone using “shall.” Sorry, maybe it’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/12 "2007-06-30T06:47:40Z")
Not to worry Panache, I don’t recall using it, and when I here anyone using it outside of the legal arena I think “dork”. ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/13 "2007-06-30T07:09:42Z")
[QUOTE=Happy Lendervedder] I use “shall” at times, as in ‘Shall we go?’ [/QUOTE] I also use the word “shall,” but only when asking a question and usually when I am trying to be polite. “Shall I answer his question, or would you prefer to?” “Shall I go first?” “Shall I get us a table right now, or do you want to wait until Joe gets here?” Times like that. Shan’t sounds strange to me. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/14 "2007-06-30T07:13:29Z")
Shall/Shall Not/Shan’t are _imperative_ words. They’re quite useful. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/15 "2007-06-30T07:22:22Z")
[QUOTE=cerberus] Shall/Shall Not/Shan’t are _imperative_ words. They’re quite useful. [/QUOTE] Should/ shouldn’t/ should not/ Will/ wouldn’t/ would not/ are good and more usual. They are quite 21st century as well. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/16 "2007-06-30T07:26:50Z")
_LEET-Speak_ is also very 21st Century. There’s nothing wrong with using old words. Should lacks the imperative force of a properly deployed shall. The will form of would can be forceful as well. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/17 "2007-06-30T07:34:53Z")
[QUOTE=cerberus] _LEET-Speak_ is also very 21st Century. There’s nothing wrong with using old words. Should lacks the imperative force of a properly deployed shall. The will form of would can be forceful as well. [/QUOTE] Me thinks thou doth protest too much. Sure old words are fine, if you want to seem effete. Face it, absent special circumstances shall is not commonly used in spoken language. Sure sometimes it may be appropriate and sure some people use it, but I dare you to do a lexus search and see how often it is used. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/18 "2007-06-30T09:32:02Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] Sure old words are fine, if you want to seem effete. Face it, absent special circumstances shall is not commonly used in spoken language. Sure sometimes it may be appropriate and sure some people use it, but I dare you to do a lexus search and see how often it is used. [/QUOTE] I can’t think of any good reason why I should participate in the lowering of the use of the English language to its lowest common denominator. Or, more succinctly, so what? ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/19 "2007-06-30T11:06:12Z")
IIRC shall and will aren’t interchangeable. “Will” implies intention, it implies a choice with a will behind it (if you will), as in “I will call you tomorrow”. “Shall” implies no choice, as in “If it rains during my walk I shall get wet”. Which means that McArthur’s (it was he, wasn’t it?) famous “I shall return!” should have bee “I will return”. At least, in the first persons singular and plural this is the case. In the second and third persons, these senses reverse. This is how I remember it. Anybody know different? Maybe I’ll look it up when I’m not racing to beat SDMB’s timeout. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986/20 "2007-06-30T12:34:03Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] Sure old words are fine, if you want to seem effete. Face it, absent special circumstances shall is not commonly used in spoken language. Sure sometimes it may be appropriate and sure some people use it, but I dare you to do a lexus search and see how often it is used. [/QUOTE] I see it all the time in standards documents. It’s a very useful word. Since when is a comprehensive vocabulary effete? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shall/409986.md?page=2)