My recent encounter with two or more secondary school students arguing over the appropriate engagement of the auxilliary verbs, “should” and “shall,” quickly reminded me that English language is full of booby traps, or what the purists and inventors of the vocabulary described as pitfalls and blind spots, one should be mindful of. Another lesson I got from there is that, unless we make conscious and deliberate efforts to know or be familiar with the demands of the language, many may find themselves in the shoes of the students illustrated in my opening paragraph.
It could be anyone; just as the language is no respecter of persons, whether in the academic environment or in the newsroom as a writer, journalist or reporter. As I often warn, one should be guided; use available reference books at one’s disposal to confidently and convincingly put across your thoughts and ideas, be it in the written or spoken English. Anything short of this advice, the individual may find himself or herself wallowing in ignorance with the implication that errors and misapplication of the vocabulary could possibly, for example, anger the editor or gatekeeper, who don’t have the patience to either rewrite or scrutinise such scripts.
I have received complaints from writers, especially beginners, who lament that their ‘beautiful’ ideas and essays submitted to newspaper houses, or radio and television stations have never seen the light of the day. My candid admonition to them is, try to write using words that people are familiar with. Coherence of thoughts, precision and straightforward English are the master stroke or secret of celebrated writers. On the auxilliary verbs, “should” and “shall,” one would be cajoled to misapply them; thinking, if not this one, it would be that one. In other words, the one-syllable word, “should,” is not a good substitute for the one-syllable word, “shall.”
After all, they sound alike, therefore, the terminology could be used at the discretion of the writer. But English is formal with its rules of engagement. The Queen’s English, I mean. That is exactly what this column is all about, guiding the old and new comers into the space of the 21st English, where the business is to make good use of the language to educate, inform and entertain the audience out there. As usual, as we dissect the auxilliary verbs, “should” and “shall,” when and how to use them, Chambers 21st Century Dictionary is our guide, because as the name implies, it contains the twenty-first century English with approximately, 500,000 entries.
Although the online reference materials abound, English enthusiasts appear to favour Chambers 21st Century Dictionary hard copy, simply because it can’t be adulterated, until another edition of it is published to update the current one. Well, following what the dictionary states, the auxilliary verb, “should” is an expression of obligation, duty or recommendation. For example, one can correctly write, “You should brush your teeth regularly.” it is also used for likelihood or probability, the dictionary emphasises. For instance, statements like this: “Egbe should have left by now to catch up with the bus.”
It could also be conditional: “If Ify should be there before me what would happen?” The dictionary went on to explain severally the “should” auxilliary verb, how it can be applied in different ways to arrive at conclusions, using it with first person pronouns; it serves as the past tense of “shall.” above all, it is heavily relied on in reported speech. Journalists and reporters should, please take note of this. It could equally be useful with the first person pronouns, expressing doubt or being polite indirectly in statements; “I should imagine, if he has left me alone.” “I should think the job is for me.”
On the other hand, the “shall” auxilliary verb expresses the future tense of other verbs, especially when the subject is ‘I’ or ‘we,’ Chambers 21st Century Dictionary explains. “Shall” can conveniently be used in determination, intention, certainty, obligation, especially when the subject is ‘you,’ ‘he,’ ‘she,’ ‘it,’ or ‘they.’ For instance, “They shall succeed.” “You shall have what you want.” “He shall become king.” “You shall not kill.” Question implying future action, often with sense of offer or suggestion, especially when the subject is ‘I’ or ‘we.’ The dictionary explains it thus: “What shall we do?” “Shall I give you a hand?” That is the much we can take for now.
