[化学論文のための英語講座] 第25回：助動詞 shall

(English version is here.)

「shall」は現在形ですが、未来の予定や期待という意味を持ちます。「shall」と「will」はほぼ同じように使われますが、「shall」は「will」より少し丁寧な印象を与えます（契約書では「shall」と「should」は命令を意味します）。過去形の「should」は過去を述べるだけではなく、予定、期待、お勧めという意味もあります。例文を見てみましょう。

1. Acids shall be stored separately from bases.
訳文：酸は塩基と別に保管します。（命令や規則）

2. Safety glasses shall be worn at all times in the laboratory.
訳文：実験室では常に保護メガネを着用する必要があります。（命令や規則）

3. Work benches should be kept clean.
訳文：実験台はキレイにしましょう。（強いお勧め）

4. We shall report further progress in future publications.
訳文：今後の論文でさらなる進展を報告します。（予定、期待）

5. Swern oxidation should be sufficient for transforming the alcohol to the ketone.
訳文：アルコールをケトンに変換するには、スワーン酸化で十分でしょう。（期待）

[補足] 「shall」と「should」は他の助動詞より研究論文ではあまり使われません。

次回は「助動詞must」です。

Auxiliary Verbs shall

Shall is present tense, but describes future plans or expectations. Shall and will are largely used in the same way, however, shall gives a slightly more polite impression than will. (In contracts and legal documents, shall and should indicate a rule or order.) The past tense should describes not only the past, but also plans, expectations, and recommendations. Let us look at a few examples.

1. Acids shall be stored separately from bases.
Explanation: This describes an order or rule.

2. Safety glasses shall be worn at all times in the laboratory.
Explanation: This also describes an order or rule.

3. Work benches should be kept clean.
Explanation: This describes a strong recommendation.

4. We shall report further progress in future publications.
Explanation: This describes a plan or expectation.

5. Swern oxidation should be sufficient for transforming the alcohol to the ketone.
Explanation: This describes an expectation.

Supplement:
In research papers, shall and should are generally used less than other auxiliary verbs.

At next time, we will discuss the auxiliary verb must.