The modal verb “will” is used in both American and British English to express either a future aspect (“it will rain this weekend”) or intent (“I will see you later”). An alternative, “shall,” can be used when the subject is either “I” or “we,” as in “I shall see you later”; “it shall rain tomorrow” sounds strange. However, Americans tend to just use “will,” and “shall” has largely fallen into disuse in the US. Even in British English, “shall” is used selectively, for example in more formal situations (“when we obtain sufficient evidence we shall act upon it”) or suggested actions (“Shall we dance?”).
The latter is an example of the usage of “shall” heard in both the US and the UK: it has become a set phrase, popularized both in the song “Shall We Dance” — lyrics by Ira Gershwin — from the 1937 movie of the same name and in the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical The King and I by the song Shall We Dance? — lyrics by Richard Rodgers — (“Shall we dance? On a bright cloud of music, shall we fly? Shall we dance? Shall we then say ‘Goodnight’ and mean ‘Goodbye’?”). Gershwin and Rodgers were American.
You couldn’t substitute “will” for “shall” in this phrase: “Will we dance?” is less an invitation and more a question about probability; you would say “let’s dance” instead. “Let’s Dance” was the title of a song, too, by David Bowie. He was British.
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)
情態動詞「will」（將），在美式英文和英式英文中都用做表示未來，例如「It will rain this weekend」（這週末會下雨），或表示意向，例如「I will see you later」（我們待會見）。當主詞是「I」（我）或「we」（我們）時，也可用「shall」（應）來代替「will」，例如「I shall see you later」，但「it shall rain tomorrow」聽起來卻怪怪的。然而，美國人傾向只使用「will」，很少用「shall」。即便在英式英文中，「shall」也是選擇性地使用，例如在較正式的情況：「when we obtain sufficient evidence we shall act upon it」（我們取得足夠的證據時，就會依此採取行動），或建議做出行動，例如「Shall we dance?」（我們來跳舞好嗎？）。
「Shall we dance?」是在美國和英國都可聽到的「shall」之用法，這句話已成了固定的說法，因一九三七年電影《Shall We Dance》中的同名曲（由艾拉‧蓋希文作詞），以及一九五一年的百老匯音樂劇《國王與我》（由作曲家羅傑斯與作詞家哈默斯坦所合作）而流行。《國王與我》中的「Shall We Dance?」一曲，是由理查‧羅傑斯作詞（歌詞為：「我們來跳舞好嗎？在音樂明亮的雲霄，我們一起飛翔好嗎？我們來跳舞好嗎？然後我們要說「晚安」，意思是「再見」嗎 ？）。蓋希文和羅傑斯都是美國人。
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
照片：維基共享資源
「Shall we dance?」這句話中的「shall」，不能用「will」代替，變成「Will we dance?」，因為「Will we dance?」是在詢問是否可以跳舞，而非邀請之意。若要邀請人跳舞，可說「Let’s dance」（我們來跳舞）──這也是一首歌的歌名，由大衛‧鮑伊所作，但他是英國人。
（台北時報林俐凱譯）
Many consumers are guilty of filling drawers or closets with old laptops, cellphones, fitness trackers and other electronic devices once they are no longer needed. It’s hard to know where to recycle such items, or it seems costly and inconvenient to do so. The world generates millions of tons of electronic waste — also called e-waste — each year. According to the UN’s most recent estimate, people worldwide produced 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022, and only about 22 percent of it was properly recycled. The US’ Environmental Protection Agency estimates that less than a quarter of e-waste is
You’re sitting in class when a classmate asks to borrow a pencil. It seems like a small favor, so you agree without hesitation. The following week, the same classmate asks to share your notes. Later, they request help with a group project. You agree each time — after all, you helped out the first time — but before you know it, it has become automatic. This scenario demonstrates the “foot-in-the-door technique,” a psychological concept that shows how agreeing to small, acceptable demands makes it easier to accept larger ones later on. The name for this strategy comes from door-to-door
A: The four-day Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend begins Friday and will run until Monday. Are you going to sweep your ancestors’ tombs? B: I did in advance last weekend, so I can go to Kaohsiung to see the musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” A: Wow, is “Phantom” touring Taiwan again? It debuted in 1986, so this year marks the 40th anniversary of the show. B: And it’s not just touring Kaohsiung starting March 31, but also Taipei starting April 21 and Taichung starting May 26. A: “Phantom” is one of the world’s Four Major Musicals. I’ve seen all of them, except “Les
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看，這句話英語該怎麼說？ 1. 我們很早到達電影院。 ˇ We arrived at the theater very early. χ We arrived the theater very early. 註︰arrive 為不及物動詞，後面如果有受詞要用 at 或 in。例如：They arrived in Taipei yesterday.。一般大地方，如國家、省、大城市等前面用 in，凡小地方城鎮、學校等則用 at。 2. 開車半小時以後，我們到達了海灘。 ˇ After half an hour’s drive, we got to the beach. χ After half an hour’s drive, we got the beach. 註︰come, go, get（來、去、到達）某地時，在表示地點的名詞前面應該用 to，如 go to school, go to Taipei, come to Shanghai 等。如果這些動詞後面所跟的是 here, there, home 等副詞，則不用 to。 3. 明天我會回辦公室。 ˇ I will be back in the office tomorrow. χ I will be back to office tomorrow. 註︰to be back 一語裡的 back 是副詞，不是介詞，所以後面要用 at (the market) 或 in (the office)。 假如假期結束，要回學校上課了則可說： ? Kids will be back
RSS