will
part of speech
modal verb (will, would; won't = will not; 'll); noun (a will)
meaning for a pupil
1) Will says what is going to happen: «It will rain». tree →
2) Would says what might happen or is imagined: «I would fly if I could». tree →
3) Will can ask or promise: «Will you help me?», «I will be there». tree →
4) A will is the strong wish to do something. tree →
5) A will is a paper that says who gets someone's things after they die (or, as people kindly say, pass away). tree →
6) (casual) «'ll» joins on: «I'll», «you'll», «it'll»; «gonna» often replaces «will»; «will do» means OK, I'll do it. tree →
7) (rude) «Will you shut up?» is an angry order, not a real question. tree →
8) (formal) Exams and rules use «shall», «will be required to» and «would be». tree →
sense in the lessons
the future or imagined result; «How many will there be» asks for the count after the change; phrases: «will be», «won't», «would like», «will you», «if … will …», «against your will», «free will»; in casual talk «I'll», «gonna», «will do», «won't be a sec»; in rough talk «will you shut up and count?», «I won't tell you again»; in the exam voice «shall», «would be», «what will be the resulting total»; euphemism: «left in her will» (after she died)
examples
- If I put one more apple on the table, how many apples will there be? tree →
- How many will Zoe have after she buys 4 more? tree →
- I will call you after school. tree →
- Will you help me carry this box? tree →
- The ice will melt if you leave it in the sun. tree →
- I would like a glass of water, please. tree →
- She won't give up; she has a strong will. tree →
- «Grab 2 more milks.» «Will do.» tree →
- I'm gonna have 5 when he gives me 2 (= I will have 5). tree →
- Will you shut up and count? It's 12! tree →
- Each candidate shall state what the resulting total would be. tree →
- Grandpa left his watch to me in his will. tree →
- Will you grant it to me?" tree →
note
After «will» use the plain verb: «will go», not «will goes». Carries no operation clue itself; the change it follows decides. «will there be» after «one more» means add one. «gonna» = «going to» = «will» for the numbers. «shall» in an exam rule means «must» or «will». A will (paper) is about someone who has died; speak about it gently.
In the corpora
- An inheritance is money or belongings left by someone who has died, as written in their will.
- A final demand is a warning that a bill is very overdue and stronger action will follow, so acting early is easier.
- Family feuds often start over money, a will or hurtful words, and they can last for years.
- "We're expecting" means a baby is growing inside Mum and will be born in a few months.
- Asking what will happen first makes it less strange.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «will» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.