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Subject:Re: Use of "shall" From:Dianna Massey <dmassey -at- CELERITY -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 30 Jan 1998 17:27:01 -0500
Matthew Bin wrote:
>
> Er, is shall archaic? I think it depends where you are. And I find
> that it adds a certain amount of tone to others' writing that is not
> easily achieved in the written medium. (I make no claim about my own
> writing, of course.) I'm not going to crusade to bring it into more
> common usage, but it's worth knowing and using in my opinion.
In a recent past life, I documented policies and procedures. The
appropriate use of "shall" not only gave the policies the proper tone, but
also pleased the company's lawyers. If you are involved in contractual or
legal writing of any kind, the difference in meaning between "shall" and
"will" is important. Outside the legal profession, I find people react
negatively to the use of "shall." They tend to find it stuffy and heavy
handed.
