Is 'Try hard' correctly used in the sentence?

Forums: English, Esl, Grammar
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Try hard as he might, he could not lift the heavy table.

Thanks.

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@Yoong Liat,

It is correct, but it's a bit awkward and unusual..

More common might be "Try as he might....", as that phrase implies that he tried as hard as he could. There is therefore no need to include the word "hard".

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@Yoong Liat,

As McTag has noted, "as he might" implies maximum effort. "Try as he might" means "Although he tried as hard as he could", so the word "hard" is redundant. In general constructions using "as he might" only use the bare verb - search as he might, he could not find the key. Lie as he might, he could not convince the judge. Run as he might, he could not escape his pursuers.

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@contrex,

Thanks, McTag and Contrex.

Can I say "Try as he did, he could not lift the heavy table'?

"Try as he might, he could not lift the heavy table."

If yes, what is the difference in meaning between the above sentences?

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@Yoong Liat,

Yoong Liat wrote:

Can I say "Try as he did, he could not lift the heavy table'?

"Try as he might, he could not lift the heavy table."

If yes, what is the difference in meaning between the above sentences?

Yes, you can say "try as he did", and I think that the two sentences are equivalent in meaning. It seems to me that "as he might" is more common in UK (British) English.

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@Yoong Liat,

I would say that "try as he did" is not a viable phrase. I would not use it in the sense intended here.

"Try as he might" is more common, and means "no matter how hard he tried..."

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@McTag,

McTag wrote:

I would say that "try as he did" is not a viable phrase. I would not use it in the sense intended here.

"Try as he did is found in a lot of sources" (Google it) including "The Byzantine Empire" by Professor Robert Browning to pick one at random.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p29/badoit/Try1.jpg

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@contrex,

Okay I stand corrected, not for the first time.

To me, "try as he did" just means he did try.

"Try as he might" means he tried everything, leaving no stone unturned, exerting maximum effort, etc., and there was no way he could succeed.

But maybe that's just me. As you were.

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@McTag,

McTag wrote:

To me, "try as he did" just means he did try.

"Try as he might" means he tried everything, leaving no stone unturned, exerting maximum effort, etc., and there was no way he could succeed.

I think that too.

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Is 'Try hard' correctly used in the sentence?

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