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shall, will, would, PDF - Coggle Diagram
shall, will, would
what do they express
General rule of thumb
- might = polite, less likely may
- might is used in special structures
- questions, indirect sentences, phrases
- might is present and future
- might ~ could in many polite sentences
- may is used in expression
- wishes, initiatives
Shall is used to
- promise and threat (I and we; future) BrE
I shall give you a teddy bear for your birthday.
Note: oldE used this not only for I and We but the other singular forms too
You shall not pass!
He shall regret this.
- ask for advice, decision
What time shall we come and see you?
What on earth shall we do?
- offer something to do
Shall I open a window?
Shall I carry your bag?
- make suggestions
Shall we go out for a meal?
Let's go and see Lucy, shall we?
Will is used to
- give impersonal orders
All staff will submit weekly progress reports.
- announce immediate decisions (future)
‘The phone’s ringing.’ ‘I’ll answer it’
OK. I’ll buy the tickets
- emphasize determination of decisions
I will stop smoking! I really will!
- promises and threats (future)
I'll phone you tonight,
I'll hit you if you do that again.
Will/Would is used to
- describe typical, regular behaviour
When you look at clouds they will often remind you of animals
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Sometimes he would bring me little presents without saying why
- stressed will criticise behavior
She will fall in love with the wrong people.
Well, if you w ill keep telling people what you think of them . . .
He was a nice boy, but he would talk about himself all the time.
- stressed would criticise past action (= that’s typical of you…)
You would tell Emily about the party - I didn t want to invite her.
Won’t
- refuse something
I don’t care what you say - I won’t do it!
The car won’t start.
Will you
- tell people what to do
Will you send me the bill, please?
Come this way, will you?
Will you be quiet!
If you will
- polite request
I f yo u ’ll just wait here for a moment, I'll see if Mr Andrews is free
I f you would come this way . . .
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