“Shall” and “Will”
What’s the difference?
The traditional distinctions between shall and will are mentioned in most textbooks, which usually offer a formula like this one: To express the simple future, use shall in the first person (“I shall see you tomorrow”) and will in the second and third persons (“You will hear from me soon”; “They will arrive in New York on Tuesday”); to express determination, use will in the first person (“I will survive”) and shall in the second and third persons (“You shall survive”; “They shall survive”).
Rules and RULES
In American Usage and Style: The Consensus, Roy H. Copperud says that the textbooks, having mentioned the traditional distinctions, add comments like these: “At present, most people, especially in America, pay little attention to these rules” (Modern English Handbook); “Will, originally reserved for the second and third persons, is now generally accepted as the future tense auxiliary for all three persons” (The Little, Brown Handbook); “Except in questions . . . shall has been falling into disuse” (The Random House Handbook); “Keep to will unless you want to make an unusually formal effect” (The Borzoi Handbook for Writers).
Copperud then offers this comment:
“We mentally note down the person who says, ‘I shall take the 5:15 home as usual’ as somewhat affected, or…
