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Is there any difference in meaning? Or are they pretty much always interchangeable? ESL students are having trouble understanding when to use which expression. Thank you.

Jenny
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2 Answers2

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As is always the case, context makes a difference in English. However here is an explanation that I hope will be useful..

1.

"I tried closing my eyes" ---> This usually signals an action that was actually carried out, e.g.

I was at the dentist's; her lamp was very bright in my face. I tried closing my eyes but it was still uncomfortable. I asked her if she could adjust it.

2.

"I tried to close my eyes" ---> This usually implies that the action was unsuccessful, e.g.

The scene that unfolded before me was dreadful. I tried to close my eyes but I simply could not - I was transfixed.

EDIT

Here's an example that shows the difference more clearly.

"The noise was terrible. I tried closing the door; I tried closing the windows; I tried using earplugs but nothing helped."

"The noise was terrible. I tried to close the door but it was stuck so I had to leave it open.

chasly - supports Monica
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    This answer has been voted both up and down. I'd be genuinely interested to know which aspect of my answer people think is inaccurate. Comments with constructive criticism are welcome. – chasly - supports Monica Jul 27 '15 at 09:59
  • I don't think that a driver would try closing his eyes to avoid the sun in his eyes (at least not for very long). A passenger might. Otherwise the examples are fine. – Hot Licks Jul 27 '15 at 13:33
  • @Hot Licks - That's why I said "half-closed"! ;-) I would have said 'squinting' but I was trying to stay close to the wording in the question. Maybe I'll change the example. – chasly - supports Monica Jul 27 '15 at 13:56
  • I thought I had a good lock on the gerund infinitive conundrum but this one has me stumped. Perhaps if I tried to close my eyes I could see the answer. No, I tried closing them and nothing happened. Rats! – michael_timofeev Jul 27 '15 at 14:40
  • @michael_timofeev - You tried to close your eyes? What prevented you? Oh, I see from the next sentence that you finally succeeded! :-) Actually I'm not sure - are you criticising me or supporting me? Your example proves my point. – chasly - supports Monica Jul 27 '15 at 15:10
  • I'm joking, but the answer to this question is in my answer. – michael_timofeev Jul 27 '15 at 15:14
  • No I'm not criticizing you or making fun of you... – michael_timofeev Jul 27 '15 at 15:15
  • @michael_timofeev - okay, no worries! – chasly - supports Monica Jul 27 '15 at 15:19
  • I think there is cognitive science that can shed light on this. I don't think people randomly choose when speaking – michael_timofeev Jul 27 '15 at 15:23
  • @chaslyfromUK No up or down from me. However, I think the incompletedness of the to X you mention is only an implication. The essential point is that you try doing X because you want to achieve Y. If you try to do X, X itself is the goal of your action. (So you could consider "try doing" as testing to see if X will do the job of achieving Y). – Araucaria - Him Jul 27 '15 at 16:31
  • What's wrong with "I tried closing the door but it was stuck"? I think the difference is clearer in the present tense: "Try closing the door" VS "Try to close the door" (No +1 nor -1 from me...not yet) – Mari-Lou A Jul 27 '15 at 21:31
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It is not easy to make the subtle differerence clear between to try to do and to try doing ( to do/doing stands for any infinitive or gerund).

"to try to do" is the normal construction meaning to attempt to do.

to try doing: Longman DCE has the heading "test/use". Longman tries to explain by saying: to do or use something for a short while to discover if it is suitable, successful, enjoyable etc.

  • They decided they would try living in America for a while.

  • Try logging off and logging on again.

Maybe it helps to say that "to try doing" is equivalent to "see if you can succeed in logging off and on again". Or: Try it with logging off and on.

As to the initial question I think the gerund construction is perferable. The closing of the eyes was tested, but it was no help. The light was still irritating.

rogermue
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