Try and
14 days ago
- #linguistics
- #English
- #grammar
- Dr. Dre mentions changing the course of hip hop.
- The verb 'try' can be followed by a noun phrase, an infinitival verb phrase with 'to', or a verb phrase with '-ing'.
- 'Try and' followed by a bare verb form is similar in meaning to 'try to' but is considered prescriptively incorrect.
- 'Try and' is more prevalent in British English but common in both British and American varieties.
- The construction 'try and' dates back to the late 1500s, with the earliest attestation from 1390.
- Some linguists argue that 'try and' predates 'try to', while others suggest they developed simultaneously.
- 'Try and' does not behave like regular coordination; it allows wh-word movement but not reordering or use of 'both'.
- The 'bare form condition' requires both 'try' and the following verb to be uninflected, though some dialects show variation.
- 'Try and' cannot be separated by adverbs or negation and does not allow ellipsis.
- Other instances of pseudocoordination include 'be sure', 'mind', 'start', 'remember', and motion verbs like 'come' and 'go'.
- Motion verb pseudocoordination differs syntactically and semantically from 'try and'.