Volitive future

Study the following sentence.

• You shall hear your father’s story.

The tense used in the above sentence is not simple future but volitive future.

In volitive future, shall takes the place of will and will takes the place of shall. Normally we use shall with first person pronouns and will with second and third person pronouns to express simple futurity. In volitive future, we use shall with second and third person pronouns and will with first person pronouns.

The volitive future expresses the will of the speaker. We use it when we make a promise. It is also used in commands.

Exercise

Complete the following sentences using will or shall.

1. ‘Peter ……………….. have a bicycle,’ father promised.

2. I ……………… work harder.

3. You ……………….. be rewarded for your hard work.

4. ‘You ……………….. obey me,’ the headmaster said.

5. He ……………….. be here soon.

Answers

1. ‘Peter shall have a bicycle,’ father promised.

2. I will work harder.

3. You shall be rewarded for your hard work.

4. ‘You shall obey me,’ the headmaster said.

5. He shall be here soon.