Modal Verbs 'shall, should, will, would'
In this article we are going to study about the Modal Verbs ‘shall, should, will, would’.
Shall Vs. Will
Concept 1
We can use ‘will’ with all the three persons to express pure future.
We use ‘shall’ only with first person ‘I’ and ‘we’ in future tense. But note that nowadays, ‘I/We shall’ is less common than ‘I/We will’.
I shall/will go to market tomorrow and she will come with me.
Tomorrow will be Monday.
Concept 2
As far as interrogative sentences are concerned, we must use only ‘shall’ (not ‘will’) with first person (‘I’ and ‘we‘).
We use ‘shall’ with first person in interrogative sentences to make a suggestion, seek permission or take advice.
Shall I close the hatch? (i.e. Do I have your permission? / What is your will?)
Which laptop shall I buy? (i.e. What is your advice?)
Where shall we play? (i.e. What is your suggestion?)
When shall we submit our project?
Will I leave? (incorrect)
Shall I leave? (correct)
Now let us see the use cases of ‘shall’ and ‘will’.
Uses of Shall and WIll
Use Case 1
We use ‘shall’ in the following cases:
Command
You shall leave the class at once.Compulsion
You shall be here for the meeting tomorrow.Legal requirement (in case of legal document, etc.)
‘shall’ is used with second and third person for legal requirement
Everyone shall read the document before signing it.Threat
‘shall’ is used with second and third person to give threat.
You shall repent if you waste your time.
Trespassers shall be prosecuted.Promise
‘shall’ is used with second and third person to give a promise
If you pass the examination you shall get a car.
You shall be awarded.Determination
‘shall’ is used with second and third person to show determination.
They shall do, what they want.Requests / Suggestions
‘shall’ is used with first person to make requests / suggestions.
Shall I switch on the radio.
Use Case 2
We use ‘will’ (or ‘ll) in the following cases:
- Threat
‘will’ is used with first person to denote threat.
I will see you in court.
We will drag you to court.
Will is used to express Volition, which means the faculty or power of using one’s will. Lets’s see some of such cases.
Determination
‘will’ is used with first person to denote determination
I will work hard and make this company successful.
We will accomplish this mission at any cost.Promise
‘will’ is used with first person to denote promise.
I will help you whenever you are in need.
We will be with you at all times.
Use Case 3
Apart from these, we often use ‘will’ for offers, agreements, invitations, and requests/orders.
Similarly, we use ‘will not’ (or won’t) when we talk about unwillingness to do something (e.g. reluctance, refusal).
- Offering to do something (i.e. denoting willingness)
‘will’ is used with first person to denote willingness.
My exams have been preponed. - We will help you in your preparation. (i.e. we offer our help.)
I will give you another opportunity to improve your behaviour. (i.e. I offer another opportunity)
- Asking somebody to do something, i.e. request / order (Will you …?)
‘will’ is used with second, third persons to denote request / order.
‘Will you?’ indicates an invitation or a request.
Will you please be quiet? (I request you to be quiet)
Will you please utter a few words.
Use Case 4
We also use ‘will’ to show probability, our expectations or what we think.
Probability/Assumption
I will probably stay back a bit longer at office this evening.
This will be the wire you want, I suppose.Expectation
I expect that my son will call me soon.
- Wonder
I wonder what will happen to the ozone layer in years to come.
Use Case 5: Surety / Certainty
We use will (or won’t) to indicate that a present or future situation is certain.
You will know that exams have been called off. (i.e. exams have already been called off)
I am sure you will be successful.
Should I call Meenakshi? - No, don’t disturb her – she will be working.
You won’t see the kids again before next month.
When we want to indicate that we think a past situation (seen from either a present or future viewpoint) is certain → we use will (or won’t) have + past participle.
They will have reached the stadium by now. (past seen from a present viewpoint)
Tomorrow, I will have owned my present bike for exactly ten years. (past seen from a future viewpoint)
Use Case 6
To express present routine action, present habit or talk about things that are always true → We can use ‘will’.
‘will’ is used with second, third persons to denote habit.
Every day Alka will come home from work and hug me.
A baby will recognise its father’s voice soon after it is born.
Should and Would
‘should’ and ‘would’ are the past equivalents of ‘shall’ and ‘will’ respectively.
If the sentence starts with past then we use ‘would/should’.
She said she will carry my books. (incorrect)
She said she would carry my books. (correct)
We use should + $V_1$ in the structure of present as well as past.
He says, Geetanjali should go. (correct)
He said, Geetanjali should go. (correct)
Now let us see the various uses of ‘should’ and ‘would’.
Uses of Should and Would
Use Case 1
To express duty or obligation → We use ‘should’ with all persons.
We should obey the law of the land.
You should keep the promise you gave to her.
Students should respect their teachers.
To indicate a past obligation that was not fulfilled, i.e. something should have been done (but was not done) → We use ‘should + perfect infinitive (have + been/$V_3$)’
We should have been more cautious.
He should have arrived by now.
Use Case 2
To express a supposition that may not be true (in clauses of condition) → we use ‘should’.
If it should rain, I will not go to school.
If she should see me here, I will surely be punished.
Use Case 3
If ‘should’ is used after ‘lest’, it shows negative purpose.
He ran fast, lest he should miss the bus.
‘lest’ can also take ‘$V_1$’ (plural form) even with singular subjects.
Take care lest you/he fall.
‘lest’ doesn’t take ‘not’ after it.
She doesn’t invest in shares lest she should not lose all her investment. (incorrect)
She doesn’t invest in shares lest she should lose all her investment. (correct)
Use Case 4
‘should’ is used to express probability.
He should be in the office now.‘should’ is used to give general advice.
We should keep our surroundings clean.‘should’ is used to suggest in an informal way.
Should I cook something for you.
Use Case 5
‘would’ is used to seek favour / to make a polite request (show your wish/desire).
Would you lend me your bike, please?
For making a polite request in an interrogative sentence → We use ‘would’.
Would you lend me your notes?
‘Would you?’ is more polite than ‘Will you?’
‘would’ after ‘wish’ expresses a strong desire.
I wish you would not bother me so much.
Use Case 6
When ‘would’ is used with ‘rather’, it shows preference/choice.
I would rather work than beg.
Use Case 7
To express past routine action, past habit or talk about things that were always true → We can use either ‘would’, ‘used to’ or ‘simple past tense’.
She would sit here for hours watching the sunset. (would + $V_1$)
She used to sit here for hours watching the sunset. (used to + $V_1$)
She watched the sunset here for hours. (watched - $V_2$)
Early iron ships wouldn’t hold more than 40 seamen.
We don’t use ‘would’ in this way to talk about a particular occasion in the past.
Compare the following sentences:
Each time I went to him with a problem he would solve it for me. (it was always true)
Yesterday I went to him with a problem and he solved it for me. (here we are talking about a particular instance; so we will not use – ‘he would solve it…’)
Use Case 8
To talk about things that happened repeatedly in the past, but don’t happen now → We can use ‘would’ or ‘used to + infinitive’.
We would / used to study with him when he was in our society.
Mayank would / used to visit his uncle every other month.
Use Case 9: ‘would’ Vs. ‘used to’
To talk about past states that have changed → We use ‘used to’ (not would).
Our shop used to be in the MGM mall.
I used to drink heavily in college.
When we use ‘would’ we need to mention a specific time or set of occasions.
Whenever we went to the beach, our dog would / used to play in the waters.
We don’t use either ‘used to’ or ‘would’ in the following cases:
when we say exactly how many times something happened.
We visited New York two times during the 90s.when we say how long something took.
I went on holiday for a week.when we say that something happened at a particular time.
I went on holiday to the Maldives last month.
Extra Books and Tools
If you prefer to learn via books, or want some good English Grammar books for reference purposes, you may read this article which enlists some of the books recommended by us.