Try是高频词汇,因此Try doing、Try to do和Try and do会经常碰到,这三者语义和用法有差异。先来看,

【例句1】I have tried to talk to Jane but her assistant keeps telling me she’s unavailable. (我试图要跟简交谈,但她的助手一直告诉我她不在)[努力要做,但动作没有成功]

【例句2】I have tried talking to Jane but she’s still angry with me and doesn’t want to listen. (和简谈话我已试过,但她仍然生我的气,不想听。)[“和简谈话”动作成功]

两个句子啰唆了一点,目的是为了提供体会语义差异的语境。下面看更深刻更逻辑的比较。

Try to do

try to do something 表达企图或努力去do something, 如,

【例句3】I must try to complete this report by the end of the day.(我必须努力在白天结束前完成这份报告。)[成功与否,现在不确定]

【例句4】Have you ever tried to learn a musical instrument?(你曾经努力过学会一种乐器吗?)[学会没学会不知道,只是"努力“]

【例句5】You should try not to drink more than twice a week.(你应该努力做到每周喝酒不超过两次。)

【例句6】The children tried to put up the tent by themselves, but in the end they needed to ask their parents for help. (孩子们试图自己搭帐篷,但最终还是需要向父母求助。)

try to do something结构中,to既是不定式标志,语义上也有“为了、去、要”语义,因此该结构也可改成"to do something, (主语)try"。自然这里的try为“努力、企图”。既然是“努力、企图”,那么do something这个动作既可能成功,也可能失败。

Try doing something

try doing something 表达“尝试,试验试验,换换别的看看”的语义。在这种表达中,doing something的动作成功了(你期望的、动作背后的目标可能没有达到)。如,

【例句7】I've tried altering this recipe so many ways, but the cake never comes out quite right.(改变这个配方,我已经试过很多方式了,但蛋糕从来没有完全对劲过。)

【例句8】My phone stopped working, so I tried turning it off and on again.(我的手机不工作了,所以我试过了将其关闭再打开。)

【例句9】My colleague doesn't seem to like me very much, even though I've tried inviting him to our social events.(我的同事似乎不太喜欢我,尽管我尝试过邀请他参加我们的社交活动。)

【例句10】If you have a sore throat, try drinking honey and lemon mixed with warm water.(如果您喉咙痛,请试一试将蜂蜜和柠檬与温水混合饮用。)[此句try doing是祈使句,但doing既不是目标,也不是目的,而是缓解喉咙痛的动作]

try doing something 结构中,doing something是try的宾语,是try完成的动作,它不能变换成"doing something, (主语)try"。try在这里的语义是“尝试”,也许只是为了换种口味、风格或办法,并没有“努力、费力”之义,因为不再是“为了某目标”。

Try and do something

有时你会遇到try and do something, 如,

【例句11】Can you try and fix the printer for me please?(你能试着帮我修一下打印机吗?)

【例句12】I'm going to try and get some flowers on the way home.(我打算在回家的路上试着买些花。)

这种结构的语义接近 try to do something。然而,该用法并非严格正确,因此在正式演讲和大多数写作中尽量不要用。吃不准的话,还是用 try to do 或 try doing。

另外注意,do something的do绝对不能用过去式(即便and前面是tried,后面的do也不能did)。

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