Shall
Shall is used with the first person pronouns I and we to show future action.
Examples:
- We shall be there by this time tomorrow.
- We shall all gather on the beach this weekend.
- We shall be having a vegetarian meal with the uncle who has become a vegetarian.
Shall is used for the following expressions.
Examples:
- Shall we dine here? Let’s dine here, shall we? (Suggestion/Question)
- We shall get this jigsaw puzzle done completely by tonight. (Determination)
- We shall walk all the way there together. (Intention)
- He said he would be a famous magician when he grew up. We shall see. (Expectation)
- Shall we get a bigger one? (Opinion)
Shall is used for questions.
Examples:
- Shall get up for them to sit?
- Shall we dine outside or inside?
- When shall we visit grandma again?
Shall is used for all persons for emphasis.
Examples:
- I shall say again that you are talking rubbish.
- Never shall we forget his dying words about nobody are going to look after his pets.
- You shall be made to pay dearly for your negligence.
Examples:
Shall is usually contracted to ‘ll which typically is added to a subject pronoun (I, we, you, they, he, she, it).
- I’ll phone you this evening.
The negative form shall not is contracted to shan’t .
- I’m afraid I shall not ( shan’t ) be able to attend the meeting.
Shall can be used with second-person and third-person pronouns to give a command or impose a prohibition.
Examples:
- He shall write a letter of apology to the club members.
- You shall leave now as he’s waiting for you.
- None of you shall be permitted to use my nickname again.
Shall can be used with second-person and third-person pronouns to talk about rules and laws.
Examples:
- It shall be a breach of club rules to drink alcohol in the clubhouse.
- Candidates shall comply strictly with the instructions.
- There shall be total silence during recording. .
Should
Should is the past form of shall , and like all the other modal verbs does not conjugate. Should functions as an auxiliary verb to express the following ideas.
Examples:
- At the rate he’s drinking, he should get drunk before long. (Probability/possibility)
- He knows he should remain faithful if he wants his marriage to last. (Obligation/duty)
- If he should die now, what would become of his fleet of luxurious cars? (Condition)
- At the marketplace whom should I meet but my former sweetheart. (Surprise)
- You should go back to your husband. (Suggestion)
- What color should we use for the kitchen walls? (Opinion)
- There should be a large crowd at the festival. (Expectation)
- You should have been there to see what really happened. (Wish)
- I should think it will take us more than two hours to complete it. (Emphasis)
Should is used in negative statements with the negative word not , which can be contracted.
Examples:
- You should not ( shouldn’t ) have lied to her.
- You should not ( shouldn’t ) worry about the weather each time you go out.