I was just reminded of Gandalf’s line in The Lord of the Rings, which I saw before learning Latin, the language that fixed me grammatically…
…i’ve read that “shall” is only used with “I” and “we”…
…is this line grammatically incorrect!? gasp
That probably depends on whom you ask… English grammar is beginning to seem like a lost cause. I think the modern (proper) use of it attributes simple future action to “shall” in first person, and to “will” in 2nd and 3rd person. Any switching of that will express determination; e.g. “I will go”, “You shall go”. Of course most of us just like to use “will” for everything…
But if you go back before that, even “shall” and “will” were not originally auxiliary verbs for creating the future tense, but subjunctives. So, it all depends on when you are willing to let these apparently fading things die, because there does not seem to be a lot of consensus on (or concern about) grammar anymore.
I think the correct way to say it is, “Thou shalt not pass.” Of course, that’s based on my knowledge of the Bible. Such a construction is rarely heard these days, and I’ve never heard “You shalt not pass.”
HW FOWLER IS GOD.
http://cyberspacei.com/greatbooks/authors/hw_fowler/213.html
Great link, Pete! Thank you!