try
Primary: verbCan function as: verb, noun
Noun form derived from verb through zero derivation
π Pronunciation
/traΙͺ/
Syllables: try
Stress: single syllable
No major pronunciation difficulties
π¨βπ©βπ§βπ¦ Word Family
| Word Class | Forms |
|---|---|
| Verbs | try, tries, tried, trying |
| Nouns | try, trial, retrial |
| Adjectives | trying |
Forms a small but frequently used word family
π Noun Forms
| Singular: | try |
| Plural: | tries |
| Possessive: | try's |
Note: none
Compound Forms
try-out, try-on
Derived Forms
With suffixes: trial (-al)
With prefixes: retrial (re-)
π― Verb Forms
| Infinitive: | to try |
| Base form: | try |
| 3rd person singular: | tries |
| Past simple: | tried |
| Past participle: | tried |
| Present participle: | trying |
| Gerund: | trying |
π Meanings & Definitions
Noun Meanings
1
an attempt or effort to do something
Countability: countable
“Let's give it another try”
“It's worth a try”
Common collocations: give it a try, worth a try, first try
Synonyms: attempt, effort
neutralgeneral
2
The primary way to score in rugby, worth five points. It is achieved by a player grounding the ball with downward pressure on or behind the opponent's goal line.
Countability: countable
“What an amazing try”
“He scored a try in the final minute”
Common collocations: score a try
Synonyms: No true synonym
formal sports terminologysports
Verb Meanings
1
to make an attempt or effort to do something. Note: Try + Infinitive for this meaning
Aspect: action | Continuous: Yes
“I'll try to finish this today”
“She's trying her best”
Synonyms: attempt, endeavor
neutralgeneral
2
to test or experiment with something. Note: Try + Gerund for this meaning
Aspect: action | Continuous: Yes
“If you don't like jogging, try swimming”
“Why don't you try on the blue shirt?”
Synonyms: test, sample, experiment
neutralgeneral
3
to judge in a court of law
Aspect: action | Continuous: Yes
“He was tried for murder”
“The case will be tried next month”
Synonyms: judge, hear
formallegal
π§ Verb Patterns
try + to-infinitive
“I'll try to help you”
Note: Most common pattern, expressing an attempt to do something. Note: with past tense, e.g. I tried to book a table, always indicates that you didn't succeed in your attempt. Pro tip: to say that an attempt was successful use 'I managed to', e.g. I managed to book a table
try + gerund
“Try asking him again”
Meaning: Suggests experimenting with an action to see if it helps
try + object
“Try the soup”
Note: Used for testing/sampling
Transitivity
Type: both
Passive possible: Yes
Passive examples:
“The case was tried in court”
“Several methods were tried”
β οΈ Common Errors
β I try learn Englishββ I try to learn English
Missing 'to' infinitive
Common for: Languages without infinitive marker
High impact
β Try drinking milk vs Try to drink milkββ Both correct but different meanings
Gerund suggests experiment, infinitive suggests attempt
β *I am trying improve my Englishββ I am trying to improve my English
Missing 'to' with continuous form
π Etymology
Origin: Old French 'trier' meaning to pick out or separate
Original meaning: “to separate grain from chaff”
Development: Evolved from sorting to testing to attempting
Related words in other languages: French 'trier'
π Register & Frequency
Frequency: top 500 words
Spoken: common
Written: common
Academic: common
Business: common
Formality: neutral