You SHALL not pass!
Hello,
may I ask you why in the following sentence from Harry Potter: ´You shall not pass´ is used shall instead of will? Because I only know that shall is typical of the 1st persons (I, we) and especially for questions.
Many thanks in advance.
L.
Top answer
lucluc Because I only know that shall is typical of the 1st persons (I, we) When we express a command or a threat, " shall" is used for other persons—you, he, she, they. Here, the writer seems to expresse a threat.
- lucluc Because I only know that shall is typical of the 1st persons (I, we) When we express a command or a threat, " shall" is used for other persons—you, he, she, they.
- Here, the writer seems to expresse a threat.
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luclucBecause I only know that shall is typical of the 1st persons (I, we)
When we express a command or a threat, "shall" is used for other persons—you, he, she, they.
Here, the writer seems to expresse a threat.
0lucluc´You shall not pass´
It is a prohibition:
I forbid you to go past this place.
0"Shall" is tricky. Here it is used to lend strident formality. (The person of it doesn't matter in this use.) MacArthur's "I shall return" is an example. The Civil Rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" started out as "We Will Overcome". "They shall not pass" is the usual translation of a famous, oft-used military slogan, and that's where Rowling got it, I'm sure. I find it a silly device that hint
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