will
Testament or determination
Will tells you what the future holds.
The auxiliary verb must combine with a main verb, since English doesn’t have a verb form for future time.
Will is used with an infinitive, and it is often shortened to ‘ll at the end of a word: Will you see your Aunt in Chicago? I‘ll try, but she may be too busy.
Linked to the future, will also suggests actions considered but not completed, such as those involving expectations, orders, capability, or inclination: He will ace his exam.
Less common is will‘s use as a transitive verb, where it is connected with intentions, such as your last testament, or your control over your own mind.
Act of selecting
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- agencyPower to act
- volitionCapacity for choice
- intentionPlanned purpose for acting
decision · self-determination · discretion · consent · deliberation · voluntary
Written proof or legacy
- estateProperty and grounds
- executorAppointed estate manager
- beneficiaryDesignated asset receiver
- probateWill validation proceedings
inheritance · bequest · codicil · trust · heir · legacy · intestate · witness
Firmness of purpose
- tenacityPersistent grip or resolve
- perseveranceSustained resolve despite obstacles
- fortitudeEnduring courage under pain
- gritDetermination or abrasive particles
steadfastness · conviction · commitment · dedication · firmness · backbone · persistence · strength
Intense wanting
ambition · aspiration · goal · motivation · drive · inclination · disposition · bent
Modal verb of futurity
- going toExpresses future intent
- wouldConditional mood marker
- predictionForecast of coming events
- expectationBelief about future outcomes
anticipation · promise · certainty · inevitability · conditional · hypothetical
choice
Act of selecting
intention · decision · self-determination · discretion · consent · deliberation · voluntary
testament
Written proof or legacy
- estateProperty and grounds
- executorAppointed estate manager
- beneficiaryDesignated asset receiver
probate · inheritance · bequest · codicil · trust · heir · legacy · intestate · witness · notary
resolve
Firmness of purpose
- tenacityPersistent grip or resolve
- perseveranceSustained resolve despite obstacles
- fortitudeEnduring courage under pain
grit · steadfastness · conviction · commitment · dedication · firmness · backbone · persistence · strength · discipline
desire
Intense wanting
purpose · ambition · aspiration · goal · motivation · drive · inclination · disposition · bent
shall
Modal verb of futurity
- going toExpresses future intent
- wouldConditional mood marker
- predictionForecast of coming events
expectation · anticipation · promise · certainty · inevitability · conditional · hypothetical
- Basic English Wordswho, what, when, where, why
- short I wordsbit, sit, hit, fit, pit
- W wordswater, walk, wind, wood, world
- future intentionswant to, going to, aim to, shall, gonna
- historical recordsdiary, census record, annual reviews, letter, government records
- human conceptsconsciousness, awareness, identity, self, emotion
willcompulsion
Irresistible urge to act
coercion · force · duress · constraint · necessity
willweakness
Deficiency in force
irresolution · indecision · vacillation · hesitation · wavering
willself-indulgence
Excessive yielding to desires
intemperance · indulgence · unrestraint · excess · overindulgence
willing, unwilling, willpower, willful, goodwill, willingly, willingness, wills, willed