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Sun 13 Jan, 2008 03:05 am
I know 'Try as I did, I couldn't open the door' is correct. But what should I do to the 'Try hard' in the sentence below.
Try hard as did, I couldn't open the door.
Many thanks.
You could say "Hard as I tried, I couldn't open the door"
or, "Hard though I tried, ......"
Re: Try hard
Yoong Liat wrote:I know 'Try as I did, I couldn't open the door' is correct. But what should I do to the 'Try hard' in the sentence below.
Try hard as did, I couldn't open the door.
Many thanks.
"Try as I might, ....." may sound a little old-fashioned now but I think it's better than "try as I did"
What about 'Howver hard I tried, I couldn't open the door."
Man thanks.
Thanks, Mc Tag and Noddy.
Try as I did, I couldn't open the door.
Is the sentence correct?
Many thanks.
How about
As much as I tried, I could not . . . . .
Re: Try hard
McTag wrote:Yoong Liat wrote:I know 'Try as I did, I couldn't open the door' is correct. But what should I do to the 'Try hard' in the sentence below.
Try hard as did, I couldn't open the door.
Many thanks.
"Try as I might, ....." may sound a little old-fashioned now but I think it's better than "try as I did"
In Britain it is still used, although I expect the "er, like, duh?" generation don't like it.
Yoong Liat wrote:Try as I did, I couldn't open the door.
Is the sentence correct?
Many thanks.
I would say it is on the incorrect side of unusual.
McTag wrote:Yoong Liat wrote:Try as I did, I couldn't open the door.
Is the sentence correct?
Many thanks.
I would say it is on the incorrect side of unusual.
I, on the other hand, would say that it is on the (slightly) old fashioned side of perfectly acceptable among educated people.
McTag wrote:Yoong Liat wrote:Try as I did, I couldn't open the door.
Is the sentence correct?
Many thanks.
I would say it is on the incorrect side of unusual.
What does the above sentence mean?
I guess that McTag thinks it might be incorrect, but he is not sure, and he finds it an unusual usage. It is in fact perfectly acceptable.
Thanks, Contex, for letting me know that the sentence is acceptable.
Mc Tag's sentence is hard to understand as I'm not a native speaker. Is it a common expression?
Many thanks.
One can formulate an expression along these lines:
X is or was on the (Y) side of (Z)
e.g. John's joke was on the rude side of acceptable
This supposes that there is a range of acceptability for jokes, and that John's joke, although within that range, was near the metaphorical edge or side of that range, and that beyond that edge lies the zone of rude jokes.
I flatly contradict you, McTag.
Now I was really up a creek without a paddle and a horrid clammy fear spread through my body. Try as I did, I could not remember the course.
It was my intention to try and find the Tern colony in North Queensferry as there was the possibility of Roseate Tern there but try as I did I couldn't find it.
I knew that Ally Sheedy was adorable and much more practical but God, try as I did, I couldn't get Demi Moore out of my mind.
I must confess though as a sighted and hearing person, try as I did, I still don't think I can adequately identify with those who cannot see or hear
Try as I did (twice) I couln't get into this film [Alexander] at all, it left me frustrated and bored. The whole thing is disjointed and stupid
Try as I did, I could not sleep a wink, and from the sounds all around me. I don't think the others managed to get too much shut-eye
Try as I did, they just wouldn't budge. I was afraid to throw them away. I just knew there would be a need for them just as soon as I got rid of them
Try as I did I could not reach My wife, Donna. We were starving for news. While we have email we have no access to the internet
an overblow is required for one of the crucial notes in the melody, and try as I did, I still couldn't make it sound good
Try as I did, I was never able to get into any HBO series shows. The only one I found entertaining was Curb Your Enthusiasm
It was the French Impressionists that grabbed my attention first. I wanted to draw like Degas and paint like Renoir. Try as I did, I had no chance!
Try as I did, I was having a hard time trying to understand my Indian partners and what they were saying over the other end of the line
Try as I did to search my mind for a parallel group in my own community, I could not.
The taste was fine, but try as I did I couldn't turn off my bread machine to get it to start over.
But try as I did, I could never come up with something new. Then I saw the movie Alien
"I lost my patience a bit on Friday, try as I did not to," admitted the European Order of Merit leader
Try as I did to remain true to the CBASP model, nothing changed in the patient psychosocially symptom-wise, or interpersonally.
It was a tasty paté, quite salty and with a strong flavour of smoking, but try as I did to work out its ingredients, I couldn't.
I'm with McTag. Hard as I tried, I just couldn't see my way clear to agree with Contrex on this.
Of course, I speak American English. Try as I might, deep-dyed Briticisms are beyond me.
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