verb patterns

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ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > verb patterns

verb patterns

KHAWLA ALZIOD

verb patterns

Hello colleagues ,

I would be grateful if anyone could send me a simple way to explain to my students the different in meaning between the following pair of sentences :(I know the answer ........ attempt and experiment........ but I need simpler way to explain it )

A: Sara tried to save the file ,but the program does not respond .

B: Sara tried fixing the car to continue the trip .

Thanks ,

29 Sep 2017

yanogator

Hi, Khawla,

First, your first sentence should end with "did not respond". The sentence isn �t actually wrong as you have it, because it could be describing an on-going situation with the program that caused trouble for Sara in the past.

As for your problem, you might demonstrate the difference with an example from learning English.

A: Try to answer all of the questions correctly.

B: With a multiple-choice question, you should try each answer, to determine which one is correct.

Or you could use food.

A: Have you ever tried to cook [a popular dish in Jordan]?

B: If you travel to England, you will get to try many different foods.

When explaining the difference, point out that in A it is about succeeding or failing; in B it is about using opportunities.

I hope this helps you,

Bruce

29 Sep 2017

Gi2gi

Also, you could make up a pair of sentences, e.g. �The shepherd tried to count his sheep after they had scattered � & �If you can �t get to sleep, try counting sheep �. 🐑 🐑 ( That doesn �t help my insomnia, though, alas! )