When do you use “will” and “shall?

” I know that [they] mean the same thing, but I would like to
know when to use them in the correct grammatical sense.!
!
In modern English will and shall are helping verbs. They are used with other verbs, but lack
conjugations of their own.!
!
Both are signs of the future tense.!
!
The old Walsh English Handbook that I used in high school gives this rule for forming the future:!
!
Use shall in the first person and will in the second and third persons for the simple future tense:!
I shall sing this afternoon.!
You will succeed.!
He will stay at home.!
!
My observations suggest that shall is rarely used by American speakers.!
!
The two words existed as separate verbs in Old English, the form of English spoken from 450-1150
C.E.!
!
The verb willan meant “wish, be willing, be about to.”!
!
The verb sculan (pronounced [shu-lan], had the meanings “be obliged to, have to, must, be
destined to, be supposed to.”!
!
In modern usage traces of the old meanings persist for speakers who use both forms.!
!
Will can imply volition or intention, while shall can imply necessity:!
!
I will scale Mount Everest. (“and no one can stop me!”)!
!
You shall take the garbage out before you do anything else. (“You have no choice, Junior!”)!
!
A second element enters into the use of shall and will.!
!
As a matter of courtesy, a difference exists according to whether the verb is used with a first or
second person subject. Which to use depends upon the relationship between speakers.!
!
Parents, teachers, employers, and staff sergeants are within their rights to tell someone “You shall
complete this assignment by 9 p.m.” Such a construction offers no alternative. It is the same as
saying “You must complete this assignment.”!
!
In speaking to an equal, however, the choice is left up to the other person:!
!
I shall drive to Tulsa today. You will follow on Tuesday. (It’s still up to you.)!
!
Here’s a frequently quoted joke that illustrates the consequences of using shall and will incorrectly:!
!
A foreign tourist was swimming in an English lake. Taken by cramps, he began to sink. He called
out for help:!
“Attention! Attention! I will drown and no one shall save me!”!
Many people were within earshot, but, being well-brought up Englishmen and women, they
honored his wishes and permitted him to drown.!
!
All of which is the short answer to Eric’s question. For the long answer, take a look at Fowler
(Modern English Usage) and the OED.!
!
By the way, the verb will in the sense of “bequeath” derives from the noun will in the sense of
“wish.” A will expresses the wishes of the person who writes it. The verb will (bequeath) does
possess a complete conjugation.!
!