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Everyday Grammar: The 'Should' vs. 'Shall' Debate

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(单词翻译)

Everyday Grammar: The 'Should' vs. 'Shall' Debate

For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar.

Last week in Paris, leaders from 195 countries reached a major global climate agreement. In the final hours of meetings, one little word made the difference between success and failure.

Near the end of the talks, a version of the agreement contained the word shall instead of should.

These two words may seem similar, but pay close attention to how they are used here in Article 4.4 of the agreement:

“Developed country Parties shall continue taking the lead by undertaking1 economy-wide absolute emission2 reduction targets. Developing country Parties should continue enhancing3 their mitigation efforts…”

In earlier versions of the agreement, the word shall in the first sentence had been should.

U.S. government lawyers noticed the word change. Just hours before a final vote on the climate deal, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry phoned the French foreign minister.

“We cannot do this,” Kerry told him.

The change from should to shall introduced new legal and financial requirements. These requirements concerned Kerry and other U.S. leaders in Paris. The difference in meaning between these two words almost caused the first global climate agreement in 18 years to fail.

If these two words could almost ruin a major global climate deal, we should probably take a closer look at them here on Everyday Grammar.

This should help:

Both should and shall are auxiliary4 verbs. Auxiliary verbs are followed by the simple form of a main verb. For example, “He should go.” In this sentence, “go” is the main verb.

The auxiliary verb should has many different meanings. It is often used to express certainty5 or possibility. For example, “They should be here soon.”

We also use should to give advice or an opinion. For example, if a friend says she is always tired, you might tell her, “You should get more sleep.”

Should can also express a goal or something that is not required. Before the holidays, many Americans say, “I should lose weight.” After the large holiday meal, we say, “I should exercise more!”

Should also expresses the idea that something is expected or correct. For example, “You should see the train station after you exit the Metro6.”

Let’s take another look at the Paris climate deal. Article 4.4 stated: "Developing country Parties should continue enhancing their mitigation efforts…”

In other words, the goal of developing countries is to continue improving their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions7.

The word should does not express a legal requirement. But shall, in the case of the climate agreement, does.

Shall we continue?

We often use the auxiliary verb shall to indicate a promise. Often, that promise is part of a legal agreement.

Article 4.4 of the Paris climate deal stated that developed countries “shall continue taking the lead by undertaking economy-wide absolute emission reduction targets.”

Replacing should with shall created stronger legal requirements for developed countries than developing countries. That is why the U.S. opposed the word change. The U.S. argued that shall needed to be changed back to should.

French leaders told Kerry that someone must have made a typing mistake. Hours later, delegates8 from 195 countries agreed to the climate deal.

Kerry later said of the shall vs. should debate, “We made it crystal clear that every text up until this particular one had a different wording. So it wasn't hard for them to realize that somebody had made a mistake, and they accepted responsibility for it.”

The auxiliary shall does not always have such serious effects. In the Everyday Grammar article, Six Differences Between British and American English, we learned that Brits sometimes use shall to express the future. For example, “I shall see you tomorrow.” It is similar to the verb will.

And American Army General Douglas MacArthur once promised to return to the Philippines by famously saying, “I shall return.”

In American English, we sometimes use shall in questions to make an offer. Shall is a more polite choice than should. For example, you might ask, “Shall I meet you after work?”

But for Secretary Kerry, there was nothing polite about the word shall in the Paris climate agreement.

That’s it for this week’s Everyday Grammar. We leave you with the words of American folk singer Bob Dylan. You should be able to hear the auxiliary shall in the song:

Any day now, any day now

I shall be released

Words in This Story

developed country - n. a country that has fewer poor people because it has industry and can raise money 

developing country - n. a country that has more poor people because it lacks industry and people are unable to buy the things they need

greenhouse (gas) - adj. relating to the warming of the Earth's atmosphere that is caused by air pollution

emissions - n. produced or released (such as energy or gas) from a source

crystal clear - (idiomatic expression). without a doubt; very certain


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 undertaking Mfkz7S     
n.保证,许诺,事业
参考例句:
  • He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
  • He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小,不敢从事任何事业。
2 emission vjnz4     
n.发出物,散发物;发出,散发
参考例句:
  • Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施,降低污染物排放总量。
  • Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后,指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。
3 enhancing 490e1788a77a71429b8caa472697e1e4     
v.提高( enhance的现在分词 );增进;用计算机增强(照片等);提高…的价值(或价格);探溯语源,指示语源( etymologize的过去式和过去分词 );增进;用计算机增强(照片等);提高…的价值(或价格)
参考例句:
  • Nanomedicine isn't just about getting fid of the bad--it's about enhancing the good. 纳米医学不只是为了摆脱医学弊病,还在于提高它的优越之处。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望
  • We have been enhancing, but cannot be pleased with oneself. 我们一直在提高,但不能沾沾自喜。 来自互联网
4 auxiliary RuKzm     
adj.辅助的,备用的
参考例句:
  • I work in an auxiliary unit.我在一家附属单位工作。
  • The hospital has an auxiliary power system in case of blackout.这家医院装有备用发电系统以防灯火管制。
5 certainty BUay7     
n.必然的事,确定的事实,确信,确实
参考例句:
  • I can't say with any certainty where I shall be next week.我不能确切地说下周我在什么地方。
  • I know for a certainty that the company has been bought up.我确实知道公司已经被人收购了。
6 metro XogzNA     
n.地铁;adj.大都市的;(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国,主要经营零售)
参考例句:
  • Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗?
  • The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。
7 emissions 1a87f8769eb755734e056efecb5e2da9     
排放物( emission的名词复数 ); 散发物(尤指气体)
参考例句:
  • Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
  • Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。
8 delegates f6181d3345b223dc5fcaf31ceaaa79c3     
代表,代表团成员( delegate的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The conference was attended by delegates from 56 countries. 此次会议有来自56个国家的代表出席。
  • Delegates expressed strong opposition to the plans. 代表强烈反对这些计划。

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