Shall and will are auxiliary verbs with which we express the future tense in English. However, is everything as simple as it seems? Yes, everything is simple, you just need to figure it out. The main thing is to always remember: in English there are no verbs that have only one meaning.
Shall / will: rule
To build a sentence in the future tense, you need to follow the correct word order: subject + auxiliary verb (will) + ordinary verb + everything else. Example: “I will eat everything I see” - “I will eat everything I see.”
This is the basic rule about shall / will. It is worth noting that in Russian we rarely say "I will (have)" - we use the perfect form of the verb. There is no such possibility in English, since it is an analytical language - its speakers use auxiliary verbs. In order to understand how the future tense works in English, you just need to remember that we also have something similar, just rarely used.
Below is the official will / shall rule in the table:
Shall - a relic of the past
We used to use shall with the pronouns "I" and "we." So it was necessary to do, according to official rules. However, over time, shall has completely fallen into disuse, and now we use both "I" and "we" with "will."
Shall is now left as a relic of the past. If we want to sound Shakespearean gloomy and medieval, then we can say: "I shall come back" - something like - "I will return."
Will: main job
The main work was undertaken by the verb will. With it, we build the future tense.
“I will be back,” the Terminator says, threatening to return. Rather, he abbreviates: “I'll be back,” but under the apostrophe and two “l” will lies.
However, will is used not only to indicate time.
Will: other functions
There is such a novel “The whole royal army” - about a tough, terrible politician who carried everyone in his path because he looked to the future, had a strong will and was angry and cool in character. His name was, at first glance, fun and unobtrusively - Willy.
Do you know why Willy? Because his name is the power of the verb Will.
If you think about this verb, you can recall Willy’s policy, since he is just as authoritative, just as deceiving. Using his example, we can understand some of the functions of this multilateral verb.
For instance:
- Will expresses the future tense. Politician Willy looks to the future, planning his cruelties. This is decisiveness, spontaneity, a look forward. Example: "I will destroy my enemies!" “I will destroy my enemies!”
- Will expresses pathetic, arrogant (almost political) politeness. Example: "I am the Boss, if you will." “I am the Master here, if you wish.”
- Denial of Will or negative Will means obstinacy: it cannot be budged either in the present or in the future. Example: "The door won't open, I can't get in!" - “The door does not open, I can’t get inside!”
- Will is not only a verb, it is a noun as a Russian “will." The verb and the noun complement each other. Example: "I did it of my own free will." “I did it of my own free will; nobody forced me.”
- The noun will can give rise to another variation of the verb will - not directed towards the future, but radiating power and desire. This option is used very rarely. Example: "Because I will it." “Because I so wish.”
- Will is like an order from politician Willy. Example: “You will do that because I want it” - “You will do it because I want it.”
- There will be some hypocrisy in will, a hidden order disguised as a question - a purely political move. Example: "Stop that, will you?" - "May be enough?"
This is how, with examples, you can analyze the verb will, and so it is easier to understand, since his nature is truly versatile.
We've covered the shall / will rule, now let's move on to other forms of these verbs. New forms - new shades of meanings that will make your speech richer and more diverse.
Could / Should / Would: Rules
Could / should / would are not just past tense forms can / shall / will.
In fact, only can / could are forms of the present and past. Example: "I can swim". - "I could swim when I was a child."
Also used to coordinate times in indirect speech. In Russian, we do not coordinate the times: one part can be used in the past, the other in the future. In English, all parts must be at the same time:
"I said I could explain everything about will / shall but I lied." “I said I could explain everything about will / shall, but I lied.”
Shall in the form of should does not take on a shade of action in the past - it becomes a modal verb of obligation. Significance is urgent advice. Example: "You should move, you are in my way." - "Once you move, you are on my way."
Would - the past tense form of the future tense verb will. This in itself is strange - hence the conclusion is unrealistic. Would often be used for the subjunctive mood. Example: "If I were you, I would totally go for it." - “If I were you, I would definitely do it!”
An unrealistic situation is described here, and would play the role of an unrealistic future.
In addition, it would be used to coordinate times in indirect speech. Example: "He said he would kill for me." “He said he would kill for me.”