"J. P. C-," Sewickley. Pa.—"(1) What is the correct use of should and would (a) in sentences expressing obligation; (b) in conditional sentences? (2) Are not these words greatly abused by educated people? (3) Are not the English more careful in the use of these words than the Americans?''

The words follow, in the main, the usage of shall and will, but with certain modifications required by their common use in dependent sentences.

Shall points originally to the dependence or obligation imposed upon the subject by the determination of a foreign will, which may be taken as a command, as a moral obligation, or even as a physical necessity, whereas will denotes the subjective resolve and inclination of the agent.

Shall and will are used as auxiliaries in the simple future tense as follows: I shall,' thou wilt,' he will ; we shall ; you will ; they will. As auxiliaries expressing a determination, threat, command, or permission, their use is precisely the opposite, as follows: I will; thou shall ; he shall ; we will, you shall; they shall. But the form of the absolute future may be chosen to express determination, in a prophetic way; as, "You will rue this." Yet the imperative form may be used in foretelling to imply a wish or an opinion of the speaker; as, "They shall all get their deserts."

In interrogations the form required in the answer sometimes adopted in the query; as, "Shall you not come to see us?" "I hope I shall." In the form of Solemnization of Matrimony given in the Book of Common Prayer, the interrogative form used is ''Wilt thou have this woman, etc.?" To which the man answers, "I will."

In the potential or conditional mode shall and should express simple futurity and sometimes doubt. "Whoever shall get her will have a treasure" expresses simple futurity; while, "should he come" expresses doubt as to his coming at some future time.

In indirect discourse, shall may be used as well as will when the idea of volition or control attaches to the second or third person; as, "He told me he should do it"; but, in the United States shall is being supplanted by will, and the foregoing sentence is more euphoniously rendered, "He told me he would do it." Should is used also in a conditional or subjunctive sense, the idea of past time being altogether lost sight of, and may express (a) supposition, either conditional or concessive, in the protasis, i.e., the conditional or introductory clause as, "If I should go, he would kill me." (6) Hesitation or modesty; as, "I should hardly think so." (c) Obligation in various degrees, usually milder than ought; as "You should be obedient."

Would, when emphasized, expresses persistence, wilfulness, or determination. It is used also (a) to express desire or inclination to do some stated thing; as, "He said he would learn to write"; (b) to make a conditional assertion, disposed or inclined on some implied condition; as, "He would give (it he were able)"; (c) to express determined action, as to a certain course; was determined; as, '' He would go, I could not detain him."

(2) We think not. (3) Whether or not the English are inclined to be more careful in the use of these words we do not know. We believe, however, that greater attention is paid to the teaching of correct English in America than anywhere else in the world.