- I shall be glad to help you.
- I will gladly help you.
Note. Such expressions as I shall be glad, I shall be willing, I shall be charmed to do this, express willingness not by means of shall but in the adjectives glad, willing, charmed. To say, “I will be glad to do this,” then, would be wrong, for it would be to express volition twice. Such a sentence could only mean “I am determined to be glad to do this.”
On the other hand, in “I will gladly help you,” volition is expressed by the verb-phrase will help and the adverb merely modifies the phrase by emphasizing the speaker’s willingness. Hence I will is correct.
237. Will, when emphasized, always expresses determination on the part of the subject, even in the second and third persons.
- I WILL go, no matter what you say.
- {You WILL | He WILL} act foolishly, in spite of my advice.
238. In the second person Shall you? not Will you? is the proper form of the future tense in questions.
Will you? always denotes willingness, consent, or determination, and never simple futurity.
Note that in questions in the second person, the auxiliary used is the same as that expected in the answer.
I. Future Tense (Simple Futurity)
- Shall you be disappointed if he does not come? [I shall.]
- Shall you regret his absence? [I shall.]
- Shall you go by boat or by train? [I shall go by boat.]