Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1883-02-24
Shall and VIII.
To the Standard.

To the Standard.
The delicate discrimination to be OBJ
served in the use of these Anglo Saxon
words is indicated in the recent criti-
cism made in the STANDARD upon the
language used by a State official in as.
suming the duties of his office. The
error in this particular case is quite APP
parent, and grammarians would unani-
mously endorse the criticism made.
Yet it is not always so easy to deter
mine with precision which of these two
words to employ so as to express the
meaning of the writer Or speaker with
exactness. Authors have exhausted
their skill, it would seem, in their ef-
forts to furnish rule covering all cases
that may arise requiring choice be.
tween these two words, and yet their
rules are so hedged about by modi6ca:
tons, explanations and exceptions, that
the student might well conclude that
the only way to master the difficulty is
to acquaint himself with all the forms
Of expression in which one of these
words must be used, as well as the d.
verse shades of meaning of which they
are susceptible.
The original meaning of these words
furnishes perhaps the best key to the
difficulty encountered in their use.
The word shall is found in some recog.
nizable form in the Anglo. Saxon and
in all kindred languages with the inva-
riable Specification of obligation. A
trace of this original meaning more or
less distinct is discernible in the English
of to day wherever shall is intelligently
and correctly used. In the expression
Il shall 60" we may say the speaker
expresses intention, but he so expresses
himself either because the intention
does not originate with himself, or else
he seeks to avoid egotism in positively
expressing his determination by using
the emphatic "will." The idea of OBJ,
legation is apparent in the forms, "you
shall go" and she shall Co." indicating
a greater or less degree of compulsion
originating in external influences. Thus
it would seem that shall ought to be
used in all cases where the person rep
resented by the subject of the verb does
not control the action expressed by it,
or where the action may be traced to
external influence.
ln the same way we may discover
in all the uses of the auxiliary "wilP
the idea of self-originated determination
inherited from its original. This. word
then is properly used where the action
expressed by the verb is controlled by
the person whom the subject represents.
The Irishman who had fallen over
board in the Thames reversed these
rules when he exclaimed, 81 will be
drowned; nobody shall help me- 1t
is incorrect to say, II hope will re-
ceiYe letter to-day" as the receiving
is not at the option of the speaker.
There are many apparent exceptions
to the strict application Of these rules.
For example, we say, "misfortunes will
come" Here the idea of determine
ton is preserved by the manifest per
sonifcation of misfortunes. So in all
cases of this kind. We say to do
nestle, "you will see that the table is
ready at the usual hour" In this We
seek to avoid an expression of compul
sion, and so refer to the servants vii
lingness to obey. In this way most
at least, of the apparent exceptions
may be made to disappear. Of course
we do not mean to exclude the idea o
futurity always conveyed by these
words. This feature, however, is no
distinctive, as other auxiliaries also i'm
ply futurity. Nor would we be under
stood as drawing distinctly defined
line between them, as in many case
there is room for the exercise Of indi
vidual judgment. f.