"If you shall (or should) be passing at four o'clock, step into my office"; "Tell him to call for me, if he shall (or should) come into town this evening," &c.]

428. (d.) "Will simply then foretells the future feat":- that is, in the Second and Third persons WILL merely indicates that an action or event is to take place, and implies that in the accomplishment of it the Agent or Subject is entirely free from compulsion, constraint, command, or control. Hence the fourth Rule may be thus expressed :

429. I must always say "Thou Wilt," "You Will," "He Will," "They Will," &c., when speaking of an action or event which is to take place without any compulsion, constraint, command, or control being exercised over the Agent or Subject. As

You will find him at home.
He will return to-morrow.
They will go to the Races.

430. [With regard to this Rule it is important to observe that, to justify the use of Will in the Second and Third persons, it is not necessary that there should be any positive exercise of choice, purpose, or intention by the agent or subject. The mere non-exercise of compulsion, constraint, command, or control over the agent is alone sufficient to justify the use of Will in the Second and Third persons. Hence Will may be used with

reference to an action or event that is obviously not in accordance with the agent's wish or intention. Thus if I meet an idle schoolboy on the road, I may say to him: "You will incur punishment if you loiter in this way." Now it is clear that the boy does not wish or intend to incur blame, but then nobody obliges him to loiter, or to deserve punishment, and if he persist in loitering, and gets punished when he reaches the school,

the other boys may say:
"He has no one to blame but
himself; he WOULD loiter on the road instead of hasten-
ing to school."

In the same way I may say: "That boy will drown himself (or will be drowned) if he venture into that rapid current." Of course the boy does not intend to drown himself, but there is no necessity for his swimming out into the rapids; there is no one forcing him to do so; in acting thus he is a perfectly free agent, and if, in spite of warning, or common sense he exposes himself to danger and is drowned, people will say: "It was all his own fault; he was headstrong, and woULD swim out into the rapids.”

431. It is to be observed, further, that WILL is often used to denote habit or habitual choice, as:

"He will remain in the house for days without taking exercise."]

LESSON XLV.

Uses of Shall and Will in asking Questions. As regards the uses of Shall and Will in asking questions, the following are the chief rules :

432. In asking a question in the First person, we must NEVER say "Will I"? or "Will we"?

433. There are different ways of asking a question in the First Person :- "Shall I"? "Shall we "? "Should I"? " Should we"? " May I"? May we"? "Had I not better"? "Had we not wish us better"? "Do you wish me to"? you to "?

66

"Do

Thus I may say :-Shall I close the door? Should I close the door? May I close the door? Had I not better close the door? Do you wish me to close the door?

Any one of these forms will be correct, but never under any circumstances should I say :"Will I close the door"? or "Will we go home"?

or, "Will we have a play"? &c.

434. In asking a question in the Second Person, it is sometimes correct to say, "Will you"? and sometimes to say, "Shall you"?

435. (a.) If the object of my question is to elicit a promise, or to ascertain the resolve or intention of the person addressed, then I should say "Wilt thou"? or, "Will you"?

As-Wilt Thou destroy the righteous with the wicked? Will you dine with me this evening? Will you have a walk? Will you go to the fair to-morrow? Will you bathe this summer?

436. (b.) If the object of my question is merely to ascertain whether an action or event is to take place, and I make no reference to the will, choice, or intention of the person addressed, then I should say: "Shalt thou"? or, "Shall you"? As:Shall you go abroad this year ? Shall you be at leisure this evening? Shall you set sail this month ?

437. (c.) Hence it follows, that if my question refers to an action or event that is wholly independent of the will, choice, or intention of the person addressed, I must never say: "Wilt thou"? or "Will you"? but always, "Shalt thou"? or "Shall you "? As, Shall you be fatigued? Shall you be sea-sick? Shall you be punished? Shall you be fourteen your next birthday? What age shall you be then? Shall you sleep well to-night?

438. In asking a question in the Third person it is sometimes correct to say:"Will he"? &c.,

and sometimes to say

"Shall he"? &c.

439. (a.) When the question relates to an action or event which is not to be the result of compulsion, constraint, or control over the Agent or Subject, I should say :"Will he"?" Will they"? "Will John"? &c. In other words, when my object is merely to ascertain whether a certain action or event is to take place, I must use Will in the Third person. Thus, Will he be here to-day? Will John come to school next week? Will the time ever come, when, &c.? Will it be wet this evening? Will he be better to-morrow?

440. (b.) When the question relates to an action or event which is to be the result of compulsion, constraint, or control over the Agent or Subject, I should say :— "Shall he"? "Shall they"? "Shall it"? "Shall John"? &c. In other words, when my object is to ascertain whether it is the will or resolve of some other person than the Agent or Subject that an action or event should take place, I must use Shall in the Third person.

Thus I may say to a doctor attending a sick person :- "Shall he take the medicine oftener than once a day"? "Shall he have a blister applied" ? "Shall the window be kept open"? &c., meaning, "Is it your wish that such should be done"?

In the same sense, a schoolmaster may say to a pupil's father:-"Shall John learn Latin this year"? Shall John be allowed home to-day before

66

the usual hour"? Shall such books as John may require be purchased by me, or will you provide them yourself"?

In like manner, an orator addressing an audience, may say :- "Shall it be said that we are insensible to the sufferings of the poor, &c."? that is, "Are you resolved so to act that people will be justified in saying so"?

441. From all that has been said in this and the preceding Lesson, it is clear that the English Verb has in reality two distinct Future Tenses: One denoting mere futurity, the other futurity dependent upon the will or resolve of some person.

442. The following is an example of the Tense denoting mere futurity :

I shall move
Thou wilt move
He will move

We shall move
Ye or you will move
They will move.

443. The same is inflected

Shall I move?

Shalt thou move?

Will he move?

interrogatively thus:

Shall we move?

Shall ye or you move?
Will they move?

444. The following is an example of the Tense denoting futurity dependent. upon the will or resolve of some person :—

I will move.

(or I am to move)
Thou shalt move
He shall move

We will move
(or We are to move)
Ye or you shall move
They shall move.