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Shall: Difference between revisions
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A verb that seems so safe — so forensic — fusty, old-fashioned, stolid, goodie-two-shoes — but yet so tantalisingly ''vague''. | A verb that seems so safe — so forensic — fusty, old-fashioned, stolid, goodie-two-shoes — but yet so tantalisingly ''vague''. | ||
Vague in that “shall” can be an airily floated aspiration | Vague in that “shall” can be an airily floated aspiration for the future — “I say,” said Jenkins, absent-mindedly knocking out his pipe on a passing child’s head, “I do believe I shall go to the theatre tonight!” — but just as easily can be a stentorian direction to an underling to carry out a binding duty: “You ''shall'' do the dishes, young lady, and you shall do them ''NOW''”. | ||
[[Mediocre lawyer|Lawyers]] like the latter formulation, a lot, and spray it around as if they're standing behind a Gatling gun loaded with [[shall]]s<ref>Thank-you, ladies and gentlemen. There’s a hat going round.</ref>. But here's the problem | [[Mediocre lawyer|Lawyers]] like the latter formulation, a lot, and spray it around as if they're standing behind a Gatling gun loaded with [[shall]]s<ref>Thank-you, ladies and gentlemen. There’s a hat going round.</ref>. But here's the problem: conjugation. | ||
{{tabletop}} | {{tabletop}} | ||