'Try + infinitive' versus 'Try + gerund'

English as a Second Language English Teacher Explanations (ESL Tests)
1

English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #119 [color=blue]“Gerund or Infinitive”, question 6

Try … the door really hard if you want to open it.

(a) pushing
(b) push
(c) pushes
(d) pushed

English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #119 [color=blue]“Gerund or Infinitive”, answer 6

Try pushing the door really hard if you want to open it.

Correct answer: (a) pushing

Your answer was: [color=red]incorrect
Try push the door really hard if you want to open it.
[size=200]_________________________[/size]

I used ‘Try push…’ that was marked incorrect. Could you please shed some light on it?

[color=blue]Michael Swan suggests:

"To talk about making an effort to do something difficult, we can use either try+infinitive or try +ing.

I tried to change the wheel…
I tried changing the wheel…

Thanks
Tom

2

Hi Tom

You could have possibly used the “to infinitive” (just as you did in your example) but the only infinitive option in the test was a “bare infinitive” and that doesn’t work in this case. :frowning:

Try to push…

Amy

3

Well, my question has been rephrased and, sorry to say, with [size=150][color=red]typos[/size]. :x

I never used try push!.This was not my question.

Tom

4

Hi Tom,

To me try to do something is make an effort to do something as in

Charlie tried for years to pass his driving test but always failed until someone suggested he should try taking some lessons.

Try taking in this sentence means do something as a trial or experiment.
That was the point of my test question here.

Alan

5

Thank you, Alan

Tom

6

Hi Tom

I promise you, I didn’t alter your post. I just answered what I saw posted. Although… come to think of it, it seems to me your post actually appeared twice (doubled) when I first saw it… Did you notice anything unusual at the time you posted? :?

Amy