Special emphasis on   try+ infinitive  and try+ gerund

·        TRY+ INFINITIVE.

You  attempt to do something. The action is difficult and you may or may not succeed. Most of the time you don´t.

I tried to warn him but it was too late

I tried to change the wheel but my hands were too cold.

·        TRY+ GERUND.

To experiment,  to try a new experience. to do something and see what will happen . It is also used to suggest something.

I tried sending her flowers,writing her letters, giving her presents, but she still wouldn´t speak to me.

If you have a headache, why don´t you try taking an aspirin?

COMPARE:

I tried to get up early but I couldn´t ( try and fail)

Why don´t you try getting up early? ( suggesting an action)

They tried to put  wire netting all round the garden.they attempted to do it. The sentence doesn´t tell us whether they succeeded or not

They tried putting wire  netting round the garden.  This means that they put wire netting round the garden to see if it would solve their problem.(possibly keeping foxes out) We know that they succeeded in performing the main action; what we don´t know is whether this action had the desired effect, i.e. , kept the foxes out