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LifeLongLearner10 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Shall vs Should

when writing specifications for an application the rule is to always use " this application shall do x" rather than "this application should do x". They are saying it is because of their precise meaning in English. But these sound very similar to me. Can someone please tell me in what subtle way they are different?
Thanks
  

Top answer

"this application shall do x" "this application should do x" Neither of these seem to me to be natural uses of the two words. Could you please supply actual sentences in which they are used, along with a little of the surrounding context?

— Mister Micawber

  • "this application shall do x" "this application should do x" Neither of these seem to me to be natural uses of the two words.
  • Could you please supply actual sentences in which they are used, along with a little of the surrounding context?
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4 Answers
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"this application shall do x"
"this application should do x"

Neither of these seem to me to be natural uses of the two words. Could you please supply actual sentences in which they are used, along with a little of the surrounding context?
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Hi Thanks for reply. An example of the suggested form is "The system shall provide the capability of editing DATE_OF_BIRTH". (using "should" considered to be less strong than "shall")
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I see. Well, I agree that 'should' sounds less strong—and actually, more pleasant—than the now rather pompous 'shall'. Nevertheless, in this restricted sort of use (specifying requirements for acceptance), 'shall' is the standard expression of demand, while 'should' carries the feeling that the specification is not fully required, but only that it would be very nice if, e.g., it edited the date
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Thanks for your reply Mister Micawber Emotion: smile
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