Date:  Fri, 11 Apr 1997 09:08:34 -0700
<br>From:  Peter McGraw  pmcgraw[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]LINFIELD.EDU 
<br>Subject: Re: Variation in "try"-complements?
<br>
<br>On Fri, 11 Apr 1997, David A. Johns wrote:
<br>
<br>  At 10:53 PM 4/10/97 +0000, Bill Spruiell wrote:
<br> 
<br>    However, when I got to the class of verb
<br>   constructions that change meaning depending on whether the object is
<br>   an infinitive or gerund ("forgot to lock the door" vs. "forgot
<br>   locking the door"), I got a surprise. None of my students could
<br>   detect any difference between "tried opening the door" and "tried to open
<br>   the door", even when I supplied extensive contexts, different
<br>   verbals, etc.
<br> 
<br>  I don't get "forgot locking the door" at all -- can't imagine what it means.
<br>  With _try_, I sense an aspectual difference that has pragmatic consequences
<br>  in certain contexts: "Would you try to open the door" implies that I think
<br>  it will be hard, while "Would you try opening the door" suggests that I want
<br>  to see if it has some effect, such as cooling the house down. But I don't
<br>  feel any difference in "He walked up onto the porch and tried [to open |
<br>  opening] the door, but when he found it was locked, turned around and left."
<br>
<br>Ditto from Oregon. This describes my usage exactly. I haven't lived
<br>in Oregon all my life (though my growing up was here and in S.
<br>California), but I'm fairly sure I would have noticed any variation from
<br>my own usage in this matter.
<br>
<br>Peter McGraw
<br>Linfield College
<br>McMinnville, OR
<br>
<br> 
<br>  I don't think I've noticed any unfamiliar gerunds since being in Georgia,
<br>  although I may have lost them in the sea of unexpected progressives ("I'm
<br>  needing a new notebook," etc.). I'll have to listen.
<br> 
<br>  David Johns
<br>  Waycross College
<br>  Waycross, GA
<br>  (originally from real Yankee country, though not a real Yankee myself, since
<br>  my family hadn't lived there for umpteen generations. And weren't farmers.
<br>  But we did eat "rat cheese" with apple pie.)
<br> 
<br>