I think your "syntactic ambiguity" is essentially the same as *try and convict me*. Also *try and open the door* (because *to try the door* can mean *see if the door can be opened* all on its own). In practice your examples don't really admit of any semantic ambiguity though - it's just a matter of syntax / parsing. (1) - see if reducing the query AND re-searching works, or (2) see if reducing the query works, [if so] THEN re-search.
– FumbleFingersOct 02 '20 at 15:34
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I think both of them are acceptable and the difference is miniscule. The first is equivalent to "Try reducing your query and try searching again", the second is equivalent to "Try reducing your query and then search again".
– BarmarOct 06 '20 at 14:20