Difference Between Shall and May in English Grammar | Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Key Difference – Shall vs May in English Grammar

Shall and May are twomodal auxiliary verbsthat show differences between them when it comes to their usage. In order to comprehend the difference between the two first let us pay attention to the situations in which these can be used. Shall is mainly used expressive of offers, suggestions, and requests. On the other hand, may is used to ask for permission. This is the main difference between the two words. Through this article let us comprehend the difference through examples.

What is Shall?

Shall is a modal auxiliary verb in the English language. These do not have to be conjugated in accordance to the subject of the sentence and remains the same, whether the subject is plural or not. As a matter of fact the verb ‘shall’ is used mainly in relation to thefirst personin future tense as in the following sentences:

Ishallwrite to him today.
Weshallgo to the bank tomorrow.

In both the sentences the modal auxiliary verb ‘shall’ is used in relation to the first person singular and plural in future tense.

The verb ‘shall’ is alsoused expressive of offers, suggestions and requestsas in the following sentences:

ShallI water the plants in your house?
Shallwe go out for lunch?

In both the sentences given above you can see that the auxiliary verb ‘shall’ is used expressive of request and suggestion respectively. These are the functions of the verb shall. The verb may is quite different. Now let us pay attention to it.

Difference Between Shall and May in English Grammar

I shall write to him today.

What is May?

The verb ‘may’ is on the other handused to ask for permissionas in the sentence ‘MayI switch on the lights?’ Here the verb ‘may’ is used to ask for permission. A clear difference between shall and may is that while shall is mostly used for requests and suggestions, the verb may is used when asking for permission.

‘May’ is sometimes used to give permission as in the sentence ‘Yes, youmaygo there tomorrow.’ Here ‘may’ is expressive of permission granted for the person to go to a place.

The verb ‘may’ isused expressive of possibility of a happeningas in the sentence ‘Wemay去澳大利亚this summer’. Here ‘may’ is expressive of thepossibilityof visiting Australia sometime during the summer.

‘May’ is frequentlyused expressive of wishes to somebody to carry on goodhealthand prosperityas in the sentences ‘Mayyou live long’and ‘Mayyou be happy forever!’ In these sentences the usage of the auxiliary verb ‘may’ is suggestive of wishes to a person. Both the verbs ‘shall’ and ‘may’ should be used with precision.