Re: Shall/have

On Jan 7, 6:28 am, Marius Hancu <Marius.Ha...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Jan 7, 7:15 am, Wood Avens <woodav...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:





On Wed, 7 Jan 2009 12:29:53 +0100, t...@xxxxxxxxxx (Donna Richoux)
wrote:
Any reasons for the "shall/will" pair here?
Is it mandatory, or can we swap them?

"Lao-Tse taught that inaction is more profitable than anything else
between heaven ad earth. When all mankind shall have ceased to do
anything whatever, then only will perfect repose and bliss reign upon
this earth. "

The Magic Mountain
by Thomas Mann, Tr. Helen Tracy Lowe-Porter, p. 379
------

It sounds like the generally modern US distinction -- shall/lofty,
conditional, advisable, and will/flat prediction of the future.

I don't think it's quite that.  It looks to me more like the
distinction between cause/effect ("will") and command or injunction
("shall").  One thing shall or must happen, and then (and only then)
another thing will follow.  If that "will" had been "shall", it would
have meant that the second thing would be commanded to happen rather
than simply following naturally.

Good points, I think.

Thanks.
Marius Hancu- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

From a grammar book published in 1852:

In the first person, simply "shall" foretells;
In "will," a threat or else a promise dwells.
"Shall," in the second and the third, doth threat;
"Will" simply then tells the future feat.

This is the British standard, of course, but I see that the translator
who produced the text you're asking about was an American. She may or
may not have worked by this maxim.

Note: the KJV used it. The commandments are "Thou shalt not" (or
else). He shall do what I say, or I will punish him. He will do what
he wants, and I shall accept it.
.

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