this post was submitted on 02 Nov 2025
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English usage and grammar

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The phrase "try and do [something]" has become ubiquitous, but it doesn't make any sense. If you say "I'm going to try and eat this whole pie", you're saying you're going to try to eat the whole pie, and you're going to eat the whole pie. You're making two statements, joined by "and." You can skip the "Try and..." part.

It should nearly always be "try to...", instead of "try and..."

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[–] WatDabney@sopuli.xyz 4 points 3 days ago

"Try and" is grammatically poorly constructed, but it's actually not quite synonymous with "try to." The meanings of the two phrases are (likely not coincidentally) different in the same sense that the phrases themselves are different - "try and" is sort of informal and casual, while "try to" is a bit more formal and precise.

For instance - you and a friend are moving some boxes, some of which are heavy and/or awkward enough that it takes both of you to move them.

Regarding one box, you say, "I'm going to try and pick it up." The implication then is merely that you're going to check to see if it's something you can carry by yourself.

If, on the other hand, you say, "I'm going to try to pick it up." That carries more of an implication that you're going to make a concerted effort - not just that you're going to check quickly if it's feasible, but that you've established it as a goal toward which you intend to invest effort.