Shall Be vs Would Be: Difference and Comparison

English is a callous language, and putting grammar into it is hard as hell. One should have proper knowledge of past and present tenses for creating sentences in the English language.

To make your sentences suitable and connect, you should use the correct verb. Shall be and would be both are used for future indicating corrections.

Key Takeaways

  1. Shall be is used to indicate a mandatory or definitive action, while would be is used to indicate a hypothetical or conditional action.
  2. Shall be is used to express laws, regulations, or instructions, while would be is used to express preferences, opinions, or suggestions.
  3. Shall be is used in formal writing and legal documents, while would be is used in informal writing and conversation.

Shall Be vs. Would Be

Shall be‘ is used in a sentence in which a future probability or chance is included. And would be is a form of will, but the difference is that ‘would be’ is used to describe that same situation that has already happened in the past and does not exist in the future.

Shall Be vs Would Be

Shall be is a future continuous form of the modal verb shall. And it is used to describe those situations which will happen assuredly.

Would be is a verb that describes the past situations that might have occurred in the present time. If someone uses ‘would be,’ they may refer to the current or past situation, depending on the sentence.

Also Read:  Dip vs Chew: Difference and Comparison

Comparison Table

Parameters of ComparisonShall BeWould Be
DefinitionShall be is a future continuous form of the verb shall. And it is used to describe those situations which will happen assuredly.Would be is a verb that describes the past situations that might have occurred in the present time.
Verb TypeShall be is a modal verb or an auxiliary verb.Would be is an adjective modal verb.
Tense typeShall be is a future continues form type of tense.Would be is related to past tense but can also be used as a present tense verb.
IndicationWhen used in a sentence, ‘Shall be’ indicates things that may occur in the future or are related to the end.‘Would be’ when used in a sentence to illustrate the past things that had happened with the same situation that is in the present.
Sentence usages1. I shall be 21 next Wednesday.
3. We shall be doing that assignment.
1. I just thought it would be fun.
2. For the coming two days the shop will be closed.
Pin This Now to Remember It Later
Pin This

What is Shall Be?

Shall be is a modal auxiliary verb used to describe the future situation. The sentence which shall be used indicates that the person is speaking about things they will be doing in the future.

Shall be is a form of shall and comes under the future continuous tense. It always shows probability or doubt in the sentences in which it is used. Some sentences are as follows:

  1. We shall be giving the assignment tomorrow.
  2. I shall be singing my favorite song at the singing competition.
  3. Rohit shall complete his homework before going to bed.
Also Read:  Pretty vs Beautiful: Difference and Comparison

In all these given examples, there is uncertainty in every sentence; in some, there is the feeling of order or command.

What is Would Be?

Would be is a verb mostly used when a person is trying to indicate or illustrate the feeling of want in a sentence. It also shows the desire for suggestions, advice, or a way of doing something.

Would be verb is used when there is some uncertainty, not surety. It mainly indicates the past situations or circumstances that have occurred in the present time.

Some sentences using would-be verbs are as follows:

  1. I would be dignified to attend the meeting with the prime minister.
  2. He would be going to school the day after tomorrow.
would

Main Differences Between Shall Be and Would Be

  1. It would illustrate what a person wants or wants to do. And Shall be used to demonstrate a person’s advice or offer etc.
  2. Would be is an adjective, and shall be is a modal auxiliary verb.
Difference Between Shall Be and Would Be
References
  1. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110810301.115/html
  2. http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/4/1/reviews/andersen.html
dot 1
One request?

I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️

Emma Smith
Emma Smith

Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.

23 Comments

  1. The use of the comparison table was very effective in highlighting the differences between ‘shall be’ and ‘would be’.

  2. The authors of the article have done a great job explaining the differences between ‘shall be’ and ‘would be’.

  3. This article is very informative and it has helped me distinguish the uses of ‘will be’ from ‘shall be’.

  4. While the article makes some good points, it oversimplifies the differences between ‘shall be’ and ‘would be’.

  5. While I appreciate the effort in explaining ‘shall be’ and ‘would be’, I think it could have been done in a more engaging manner.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Want to save this article for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own articles box!