Etymologically
← History of try

try English · revision 1996

15 Oct 2026, 01:10 by bogdan “Fix citations: RHWU, not Wiktionary” current version

Changes in this edit

@@ -59,5 +59,5 @@
==Usage notes==
− RHWU says ''try and'' for ''try to'' has been standard since the 17th century and occurs only with the base form ''try'', not ''tries'' or ''tried'';^(Wiktionary) the AHD calls it informal, and 65 percent of its Usage Panel rejected it in formal writing.^(AHD) RHWU distinguishes try, the most general word, from [[attempt]] (often for serious matters, with a possibility of failure), endeavour (sustained, earnest effort) and [[strive]] (persistent, strenuous effort).^(Wiktionary)
+ RHWU says ''try and'' for ''try to'' has been standard since the 17th century and occurs only with the base form ''try'', not ''tries'' or ''tried'';^(RHWU) the AHD calls it informal, and 65 percent of its Usage Panel rejected it in formal writing.^(AHD) RHWU distinguishes try, the most general word, from [[attempt]] (often for serious matters, with a possibility of failure), endeavour (sustained, earnest effort) and [[strive]] (persistent, strenuous effort).^(RHWU)
==References==