"I do" in response to "Will you...?"

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herbivorie

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Hi, Ive been trying to understand typcal expressions in "declaration of intention" in wedding vows.
So far I’ve learned that there are no rules for when to use "Will you…?" and when to use “Do you…?”, although “Do you…?” is more traditional.
Actually, it seems they can even be used in a mixed way.

What seems strange to me is that people sometimes answer “I do” in response to “Will you…?” questions.
It sounds grammatically incorrect to a non-native speaker, but is it natural to most native speakers?

I found posts discussing this matter in a website called Mylot (I found at least some native speakers who feel the same way), but I couldn’t find any definite answer, so I ask here.
Since I'm a new member who can't post the URL here, please Google this phrase to find the posts: "mylot - will u say I will or i do ?" The question by a person called spoiled311 is what I'm referring to.

Also, how about the royal wedding of Prince William and Catharine Middleton, in which they said “I will” in response to “Wilt thou…”?
(I know “Wilt thou…?” is exceptionally traditional, and “Will you" or "Do you" is used for most couples.)

Weddings or not, isn’t it necessary to match the auxiliary verb?
 

bhaisahab

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Hi, Ive been trying to understand typcal expressions in "declaration of intention" in wedding vows.
So far I’ve learned that there are no rules for when to use "Will you…?" and when to use “Do you…?”, although “Do you…?” is more traditional.
Actually, it seems they can even be used in a mixed way.

What seems strange to me is that people sometimes answer “I do” in response to “Will you…?” questions.
It sounds grammatically incorrect to a non-native speaker, but is it natural to most native speakers?

I found posts discussing this matter in a website called Mylot (I found at least some native speakers who feel the same way), but I couldn’t find any definite answer, so I ask here.
Since I'm a new member who can't post the URL here, please Google this phrase to find the posts: "mylot - will u say I will or i do ?" The question by a person called spoiled311 is what I'm referring to.

Also, how about the royal wedding of Prince William and Catharine Middleton, in which they said “I will” in response to “Wilt thou…”?
(I know “Wilt thou…?” is exceptionally traditional, and “Will you" or "Do you" is used for most couples.)

Weddings or not, isn’t it necessary to match the auxiliary verb?
The response to "Will you...?" is "Yes, I will" or "No, I won't".
The response to "Do you...?" is "Yes, I do" or "No, I don't".
 

5jj

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The correct answer to 'wilt thou...?' or 'will you...?' is 'I will'; to 'dost thou...?' or 'do you...?' it is 'I do'
 

herbivorie

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Thank you, bhaisahab.
The response to "Will you...?" is "Yes, I will" or "No, I won't".
The response to "Do you...?" is "Yes, I do" or "No, I don't".

Of course. I completely understand that, but I'm still asking because native speakers don't follow the rule in some cases, especially in wedding vows, as I wrote in my first post.
 
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bhaisahab

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Thank you, bhaisahab.


Of course. I completely understand that, but I'm still asking because native speakers don't follow the rule in some cases, especially wedding vows, as I wrote in my first post.
Can you quote any specific instances of this? I have never heard anybody respond "I do" to "Will you?"
 

herbivorie

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Thank you, five jedjon.

The correct answer to 'wilt thou...?' or 'will you...?' is 'I will'; to 'dost thou...?' or 'do you...?' it is 'I do'

What do you think about the case in which the minister asks "Do you" and the bride and groom answer "I will", which I wrote in my first post?
 

herbivorie

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Can you quote any specific instances of this? I have never heard anybody respond "I do" to "Will you?"

Please Google this phrase to go to the site I'm referring to: "mylot - will u say I will or i do ?"
I mean the question by a person called spoiled311.
 

bhaisahab

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Please Google this phrase to go to the site I'm referring to: "mylot - will u say I will or i do ?"
I mean the question by a person called spoiled311.
OK, so four years ago a person in the USA heard a couple respond "I do" to "Will you" at their marriage. It was incorrect English then, and it's incorrect English now.
 

herbivorie

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Thank you for taking the trouble to go to the site.

I've just notied now the person who started the topic on the myLot site was a girl in the Philippines (not in US). Other people there were from UK, Australia, US, etc.

Let me wait for replies from countries other than UK just in case.
I hope that nobody will say he/she has heard anybody respond "I do" to "Will you", or "I will" to "Do you" - and that the case will be closed.
 

Raymott

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Thank you for taking the trouble to go to the site.

I've just notied now the person who started the topic on the myLot site was a girl in the Philippines (not in US). Other people there were from UK, Australia, US, etc.

Let me wait for replies from countries other than UK just in case.
I hope that nobody will say he/she has heard anybody respond "I do" to "Will you", or "I will" to "Do you" - and that the case will be closed.
The case is closed even if someone has heard that. Correct English is not determined by what someone happens to hear from semi-literate peasants (or even royalty) getting married.
bhaisahab is correct even if someone else has heard this too.

In countries which do not have English as their official language, such the Philippines, it is quite possible that some clergyman has written a marriage ceremony in which "Will you ..." is meant to be followed by "I do". The happy couple will follow his advice, since they really don't give a toss whether they are instructed to say "I will" or "I do", as long as he marries them. So there might be thousands of people who have all heard this; and it's still incorrect English.
 

Barb_D

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There are also very, very few times in life when you feel more nervous than you do on your wedding day standing up there in front of everyone who is important to you as you take your vows.

People make verbal slip-ups in the most casual of situations. It's very easy to make them in stressful ones.

The phrase "I do" is so linked to the idea of a wedding in the US that even if the officiant asks "Will you..." and you are nervous, you reply with "I do."
 

herbivorie

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Okay, I understand if it was just a slip-up.
Thank you everyone.
 

herbivorie

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So there might be thousands of people who have all heard this; and it's still incorrect English.
Actually, I'm interested in not only the correct grammar but also how often such slip-ups happen. Since I understand this is a place to discuss the grammar, I'll ask somewhere else about the latter.
 

Raymott

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Actually, I'm interested in not only the correct grammar but also how often such slip-ups happen. Since I understand this is a place to discuss the grammar, I'll ask somewhere else about the latter.
We discuss things like that here too. In fact you've been given several reasons why this might occur already - incorrect prescription of the words to say, nervousness, unfamiliarity with the language. But since you suggested that “Actually, it seems they can even be used in a mixed way,” it obviously seemed necessary for some of us to disabuse you of that opinion - that is, grammatical correctness is not one of those reasons for the phenomenon.
Other reasons not mentioned yet could be: Not remembering how the long formualic question began, and hence not knowing how to respond; a late change by the priest in how he would ask the question, without informing the couple; the bride (or groom) having practiced their incorrect responses in front of the mirror so often that the answer becomes automatic. Finally, there might be odd places where pidginisation has led to the equation of "I will" and "I do" as equally correct answers to either "Will you?" and "Do you?" - though I doubt this last reason.
 

herbivorie

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Thank you for your explanation, Raymott, but

since you suggested that “Actually, it seems they can even be used in a mixed way,” it obviously seemed necessary for some of us to disabuse you of that opinion - that is, grammatical correctness is not one of those reasons for the phenomenon.

no, I didn’t mean responding “I do” to “Will you” or vice versa by “they can even be used in a mixed way”. If you carefully read the 1st paragraph of my 1st post, you’ll notice that this “they” mean questions, not a combination of a question and an answer. I was talking about only the questions in the first paragraph. I admit it was confusing because I put more than one point in a thread, though. Sorry about that.

What I meant by that was a case where the questioner uses both “Do you” and “Will you” in one occasion, like the following example:

Do you (name) take (name) to be your lawful wedded wife/husband? (each responds, "I do.") Will you love, respect and honor her/him throughout your years together? (each responds, "I will.")

Such cases do exist, don't they?
 
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herbivorie

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I wanted to post the link to the source of the above example, but the system says "To be able to post links or images your post count must be 10 or greater" (I currently have 8 posts.)

Please Google "plan your wedding ceremony com", go to Wedding Vows, then Traditional Vows. The second one is the one.
 

5jj

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What I meant by that was a case where the questioner uses both “Do you” and “Will you” in one occasion, like the following example:

Do you (name) take (name) to be your lawful wedded wife/husband? (each responds, "I do.") Will you love, respect and honor her/him throughout your years together? (each responds, "I will.")

Such cases do exist, don't they?
Yes. We can say pretty much what we want if we design our own service. Your example, quoted above, is fine.
 
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