Must, Shall, and Will Use ‘must’ instead of ‘shall.’
Must denotes obligation (You must attend!) or indicates a necessity to act (You must behave).
Shall imposes an obligation to act, but it may be confused with the prediction of a future action. Shall is commonly used today in questions requesting an opinion or a preference (Shall we go?), expressing determination (I shall return!), or in formal regulations that express a requirement (Applications shall provide a proof of certification).
Will predicts future action rather than a prediction. (Will we go?)
Should infers obligation, but not absolute necessity. (Should we go?)
May indicates discretion to act. (You may go.)
May not indicates a prohibition. (You may not eat that.)
Notes:To impose a legal obligation, use must.
In most contexts, will is preferred over shall.To predict future action, use will.
In most contexts, will is preferred over shall.To predict future action, use will.
DON’T SAY: The Governor shall approve it.
SAY: The Governor must approve it. [obligation]
SAY: The Governor must approve it. [obligation]
OR: The Governor will approve it. [future action]
For more on legal documents, see http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/write/legal-docs/clear-writing.html.
