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4. Shall ( subjectiveness) The meaning of "shall" is similar to "will." Especially, in American English, "will" tends to be used usually. "Shall" is often used in British English. It has two meanings. (1) a. Volition and obligation ( subjectiveness - objective meaning) b. Prediction ( subjective meaning) This is used for the volition and obligation with the second and third person, and for the prediction with the first person. But if the second and third person is used, the modality is stronger, thus, as this meaning it is not often used. It is natural that the first person is often used. Moreover, the past tense "should" does not almost express the same meaning other than the sequence of tense. This is explained in detail in the section 5. |
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