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Difference Between Shall and Should

Last Updated : 21 Jun, 2023
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The words “shall” and “should” are modal auxiliary verbs, where modal verbs are used to express ability, necessity, conditionality, possibility, and permission. In English, we have various modal verbs like shall, should, may, might, can, could, etc. that are used along with the main verbs. In this article, we learn about the difference between “shall” and “should.”

Meaning and Usage of Shall

The word “shall” is a modal verb that is used in the future tense. It refers to things that intend to happen or exist in the future.  As a modal verb, it is used together with the main verbs to express a strong intention, certainty, instruction, command, or obligation. The word “shall” is used mostly in formal writings.

Examples

  • Shall we go to pick her up?
  • Shall I take over the meeting?
  • We shall be arriving in the evening.
  • They shall come with you to your home.
  • I shall not be at home tonight.
  • We shall not make it up now.

Meaning of Should

The word “should” is the past form of the verb “shall” and is also used as a modal verb. It has different meanings that vary with the structure of the sentence. It is used to express conditionality, advice, obligation, duty, or correctness. It is also used to express desires or wishes about something that happened in the past. The word “should” is generally used in informal writing.

Usage of Should

The word “should” is used in informal writings and is used to express conditionality, advice, obligation, duty, or correctness. 

Examples

  • Should I return this to him?
  • What should we do now?
  • I should avoid oily foods.
  • You should come to my house once.
  • We should leave now, or else we might miss our flight.
  • You shouldn’t have gone to meet her without informing us.

 Shall 

 Should 

The word “shall” is a modal verb that is used in the future tense. 

The word “should” is the past form of the verb “shall” and is also used as a modal verb.

It is used to express certainty, instruction, command, or obligation. 

It is used to express conditionality, advice, obligation, duty, or correctness.

It refers to things that intend to happen or exist in the future. 

It refers to something that happened in the past.

It is generally used in more formal situations than “should.” 

It is used in less formal situations compared to “shall.”

Examples:

  • I shall go to a movie tomorrow. 
  • They shall not allow dogs into the mall.
  • Shall I prepare the dinner for today? 

Examples:

  • We should save some money for our future.
  • You shouldn’t go there all alone.
  • Why should we hire you for this job?

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed the differences between “shall” and “should,” as well as their meaning and usage, with examples. Though “shall” and “should” are related to each other, there are slight differences between them. Remember that “shall” is mostly used in formal writing, whereas “should” is used in informal writing.


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