shall
 

I was teaching an English teacher and she came to me with a few questions from the textbook. When there's a problem, it generally that some productive pattern has created a grammatically correct sentence but is semantically ill-formed.

here's one from last lesson that had me in stitches. (I took a little memo.) I'm not sure why it was so funny, but I think because I just didn't know what to do with it.

"I shall have studied English for 6 years by next March."

I couldn't stop laughing and I couldn't tell her why it sounds wrong to me.

Re: shall
 

Hi Mark,
Is this another US/UK difference? As long as I shall have has a weak form pronunciation - /ʌʃələv/- it sounds fine to me. In fact I'd probably say it. Of course there are other possibilities - I'll instead of I shall, and have been studying rather than have studied - but I can't see anything actually strange about it. What exactly was it that didn't seem possible?

How's Japan? Even hotter and stickier than here, I guess.

Re: shall
 

Interesting. It may be a difference between American and British English (It very well could be that I'm just a little strange :eek: )

I don't think we use 'shall' in affirmative sentences in AE. Any other Americans on this?

It's actually been pretty cool this summer, but I'm high in the mountains of Nagano (700m above sea level.) It's generally only unbearably hot and stick for about 6 weeks - mid July through Aug. So, the heat's on the way ...

Re: shall
 

The high school book also had the example sentence:
'You shall have this book.'

I told my students that it would be OK in a ESP - Royalty class :)

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I couldn't stop laughing after reading this.

Thanks, Mark.

Re: shall
 

:D

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I tell my students that 'shall' is outdated. Do we (English speakers in general) still use it? I've never read Jane Austin, but I feel like a Jane Austin character when I use it.

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I have been informed by a 'British speaking' colleague that "On the island where we haven't murdered our English, we still properly use the word 'shall.'" So, I stand corrected.

I still say it makes me sound like something from my misconception of a Jane Austin novel!

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isn't it jane Austen?

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You mean she wasn't named for the city in Texas?

I guess that shows how far out of my depth I am.

My apologies to all.
-Toby

Re: shall
 

no need for an apology. :) it's just that a lot of people make that mistake about her name, I've noticed it.

me too, I've made it recently, that's why I paid attention to your spelling