Date:  Fri, 11 Apr 1997 09:08:34 -0700
From:  Peter McGraw <pmcgraw[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]LINFIELD.EDU>
Subject: Re: Variation in "try"-complements?

On Fri, 11 Apr 1997, David A. Johns wrote:

> At 10:53 PM 4/10/97 +0000, Bill Spruiell wrote:
>
> > However, when I got to the class of verb
> >constructions that change meaning depending on whether the object is
> >an infinitive or gerund ("forgot to lock the door" vs. "forgot
> >locking the door"), I got a surprise. None of my students could
> >detect any difference between "tried opening the door" and "tried to open
> >the door", even when I supplied extensive contexts, different
> >verbals, etc.
>
> I don't get "forgot locking the door" at all -- can't imagine what it means.
> With _try_, I sense an aspectual difference that has pragmatic consequences
> in certain contexts: "Would you try to open the door" implies that I think
> it will be hard, while "Would you try opening the door" suggests that I want
> to see if it has some effect, such as cooling the house down. But I don't
> feel any difference in "He walked up onto the porch and tried [to open |
> opening] the door, but when he found it was locked, turned around and left."

Ditto from Oregon. This describes my usage exactly. I haven't lived
in Oregon all my life (though my growing up was here and in S.
California), but I'm fairly sure I would have noticed any variation from
my own usage in this matter.

Peter McGraw
Linfield College
McMinnville, OR

>
> I don't think I've noticed any unfamiliar gerunds since being in Georgia,
> although I may have lost them in the sea of unexpected progressives ("I'm
> needing a new notebook," etc.). I'll have to listen.
>
> David Johns
> Waycross College
> Waycross, GA
> (originally from real Yankee country, though not a real Yankee myself, since
> my family hadn't lived there for umpteen generations. And weren't farmers.
> But we did eat "rat cheese" with apple pie.)
>