Skype English School

 Auxiliaries of Tense

In the present and past tenses, verbs are conjugated in a way that infers a present action (he speaks) or a past action (he spoke). But in the other tenses, auxiliaries are conjugated and verbs appear as infinitives or past participles. Infinitives are the base form of a verb and are often preceded by the particle word to (to go or go, to be or be). Regular past participles end in -ed (have looked, have talked) and irregular past participles take a variety of different forms (have seen, have met, have spoken, and so on). The three auxiliaries that help to form the other tenses are will, shall, and have.

Will and Shall 

Will

The verb to will has a limited use as a transitive verb. It means that someone exercises his desire to do something or to use his own will. It can be used in various tenses but tends to be used in modern English in the present and past.

God wills it, and therefore it must be done.

The sickly man willed himself well.

But this verb’s primary use in modern English is as one of the auxiliaries of the future tense. It is followed by an infinitive (with the particle word to omitted). It has the same form with all persons.

I will speak

we will learn

you will understand

you will help

he / she / it will answer

they will travel

Shall

The verb shall is the other auxiliary of the future tense. It is followed by an infinitive (with the particle word to omitted). It has the same form with all persons.

I shall write

we shall overcome

you shall study

you shall remain silent

he / she / it shall begin they shall stand

There is a difference between will and shall: traditionally, shall is used with the first-person singularand plural, and will is used with the second- and third-persons singular and plural.

I shall speak

we shall learn

you will understand

you will help

he / she / it will answer

they will travel

However, when the future tense infers a promise, threat, or command or is intended for emphasis, the two verbs are used in just the opposite manner.

I will speak

we will learn

you shall understand

you shall help

he / she / it shall answer

they shall travel

Remember that a noun or pronoun combined with and I can be replaced by the pronoun we:

Mr. Smith and I
we / she and I
we. This will affect your choice of will or shall.

This is important: over time, the contemporary tendency has been to use will in place of shall with all persons in the future tense.

Trying it out

Rewrite the following sentences in the “traditional” future tense. Then rewrite them as a “promise.”

1. He plays the piano.

2. I study English.

3. We buy a new house.

4. She loves the book.

5. Mark makes no mistakes.

6. The boys help them.

7. No one is there.

8. You eat enough.

9. It needs work.

10. They practice daily.