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Wangqh2696122 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Should or shall?

Are "should" and "shall" both correct in the two sentences? If not, what are the difference?

1. According to the air traffic rules, you ____ switch off your mobile phone before boarding.

2. It has been announced that candidates ____remain in their seats until all the papers have been collected.
  

Top answer

Hi, wangqh2696122 Acco r ding to the air traffic rules , you ____ switch off your mobile phone before boarding. It has been announced that candidates ____remain in their seats until all the papers have been collected. Use should in both sentences: it indicates what the appropriate [= proper, right] thing to do is in the given circumstances.

— Regards

  • Hi, wangqh2696122 Acco r ding to the air traffic rules , you ____ switch off your mobile phone before boarding.
  • It has been announced that candidates ____remain in their seats until all the papers have been collected.
  • Use should in both sentences: it indicates what the appropriate [= proper, right] thing to do is in the given circumstances.
  • I can conclude it from the phrases in bold and so can you, I assume.
  • Shall has different uses, and quite frankly, nowadays it is not used much anyway, so if I were you, I wouldn't bother my head with it.
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3 Answers
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Hi,
wangqh2696122According to the air traffic rules, you ____ switch off your mobile phone before boarding.
It has been announced that candidates ____remain in their seats until all the papers have been collected.
Use should in both sentences: it indicates what the appropriate [= proper, right] thing to do is in the given
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In the following sentence, "should" doesn't seem so natural to me. What do you think?
The law of Venice says that if anyone tries to kill or murder any citizen of Venice, everything that he owns shall be taken away from him.
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wangqh2696122The law of Venice
Legalistic usage includes "shall", so "shall" is fine in that sentence.

For ordinary conversation, at least in the U.S., "shall" is hardly ever used.

CJ
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