Which sentence is correct:
Why don't you try to give up candy if you want to lose some weight?
Why don't you try giving up candy if you want to lose some weight?
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Both are correct, I find the second more natural. – Jan 14 '14 at 12:28
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@tchrist That generic question doesn't really explain the difference in meaning in this particular sentence. – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil' Jan 14 '14 at 12:29
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@Gilles Perhaps one of the 18 questions linked to it would be better. The matter of choosing an -ing form of a verb versus choosing its to-infinitive is hardly new here. – tchrist Jan 14 '14 at 12:33
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@tchrist Ah, after a bit of digging I found http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/61552/try-to-save-or-try-saving — that one is indeed a duplicate. – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil' Jan 14 '14 at 12:36
1 Answers
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Both sentences are correct. They have a different meaning.
“Try to” implies that the action that is attempted may or may not succeed. Try to give up candy; maybe you will succeed in refraining from eating candy, or maybe you will succumb to the temptation and eat candy anyway.
“Try + -ing” indicates that the action may or may not have the desired result. Try giving up candy; if you do give up candy, maybe you will lose weight, or maybe you will not.
