ENGLISH
REFERENCE

tri

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈtɹaɪ// tri Informal

v. to attempt or make an effort to do something. You use this when you want to see if you can succeed at a task.

v. to make an attempt or effort to achieve an objective. Often followed by an infinitive or a gerund to indicate the nature of the attempt.


SIMPLE

I will try to finish my homework tonight.

CONTEXTUAL

If the first method does not work, you should try a different approach to solve the problem.

COMPLEX

The legal team decided to try a new strategy during the appeal, hoping that the fresh evidence would finally sway the jury's opinion.

Usage

When followed by an infinitive ('try to do'), it indicates effort; when followed by a gerund ('try doing'), it suggests an experiment or a possible solution.

Pitfall

I will try and to help youI will try to help youWhile 'try and help' is common in spoken English, it should not be combined with 'to' — use 'try to' for standard purpose.

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