Shall

[joséantonio]

Despite my mother tongue is not english, I choose in disagreement.
I've read statements with shall, but are strange to find.

The word shall is found in formal writing I think

People do not usually use shall in conversations, nowadays

[Neillythere]

As per one of my recent posts:

I've been involved in writing many major international contracts in the past and use "shall ", "will" and "may", with very specific meanings, on a very regular basis - as Jose says, these are more formal situations.

The guidelines we have used are:

"shall" indicates that the Contractor shall (i.e. must) do X.

"will" indicates what we, as the client will do (because it's what we always do in such circumstances),

"may" indicates an option where the Contractor (or we) may do A or B depending on the circumstances at the time.

PS We already know they "can", otherwise we wouldn't have awarded them the contract!

Regards

[philadelphia]

(1) I usually use "shall" as the future of "should". Meaning that "Shall" (present) <=> "should" (preterit)

You shall do as I tell you.
You should do as I tell you.

Shall pressurizes 'you'. That's a obligation and even a threat.
Should advises 'you'. You should do that because that's good for you.

(2) Moreover, there's naturally a difference between "Shall" and "Will".

Will is more "a will" ("a want") => I will do it... Because I want.
Shall is more a strong intention and great pressure. => I shall do it... Because of something.

Will => 'll => won't (will not)
Shall => 'll => shan't (shall not).

Shall is rarely used, and this, more and more for a long time.

[iconoclast]

As a middle-aged speaker of Irish/British English, I find nothing out of the ordinary with 'shall', but only in the following contexts:

(1) in offers: Shall I make you a cup of tea?
(2) in suggestions: Let's start, shall we?
(3) in suggestions-cum-invitations: Shall we dance?
(4) in contract speak, as Neillythere points out, with a technical meaning
(5) very very rarely, stressed in strongly-felt obligation: You/He SHALL do it!

[poorboy_9]

I was "schooled" as such:
The weatherman says "it will rain".
GOD says "it shall rain"!
......and to quote Mr. Brenner in "The King and I":
" So it is written, so it SHALL be done!"

[poorboy_9]

I was "schooled" as such:
The weatherman says "it will rain".
GOD says "it shall rain"!
......and to quote Mr. Brenner in "The King and I":
" So it is written, so it SHALL be done!"

[Clark]

Today 'shall' is mostly used as a modal verb not as a tense auxilliary.