Try and take

[minima]

I was reading an interview and this expression called my attention

"She’d probably go visit her people in Puerto Rico and she’d definitely try and take Brittany."

I guess that means she'd take Brittany with her, but I'm not sure

[Perikles]

I guess you are asking about try and. This is a curious and colloquial idiom which means the same as try to. It is odd because try alters the form of the following infinitve. See here for one of many internet comments on the construction.

It also applies to other verbs, but where often there is more logic to it.

I will go and see what is happening.
(If this is 2 events, I go, then I see, it is logical. But normally it means I go in order to see in which case it is equivalent to I will go to see...

It is cold outside. If you go out, be sure and take a coat.

Here the sense is clearly be sure to take a coat.

I've forgotten the grammatical term for this.

The British National Corpus (BNC) has 8707 hits on try to, and 3901 hits on try and.

This is perfectly normal in BrE, but go visit her is never used (yet), always go and visit her or go to visit her

[poli]

Originally Posted by Perikles

I guess you are asking about try and. This is a curious and colloquial idiom which means the same as try to. It is odd because try alters the form of the following infinitve. See here for one of many internet comments on the construction.

It also applies to other verbs, but where often there is more logic to it.

I will go and see what is happening.
(If this is 2 events, I go, then I see, it is logical. But normally it means I go in order to see in which case it is equivalent to I will go to see...

It is cold outside. If you go out, be sure and take a coat.

Here the sense is clearly be sure to take a coat.

I've forgotten the grammatical term for this.

The British National Corpus (BNC) has 8707 hits on try to, and 3901 hits on try and.

This is perfectly normal in BrE, but go visit her is never used (yet), always go and visit her or go to visit her

Good information. I just would like to add one more thing. To "go visit
her" may no be anything heard in Britain, but it is commonly used in American English.

[Luna Azul]

Great question. I've always wondered about that and was never sure which one to use. In the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage that I have open in my hands now, they give an extensive explanation on that. Two whole pages.

They say that the use of expressions with "and" between two verbs is an old one. They talk abouth the 16th and even the 13th centuries!! They even say that it may be even older than "try to".

But (never start a question with "but") that's not all, "try and" is very "young" compared to other verbs that were or have been used with "and": begin, go, take, come.

Those were used in the 13th and 16th centuries, whereas "try and" - only- began to be said in the 17th century..

Several grammarians have recognized that "try and" is an established standard idiom..

[minima]

Yes, that was my problem when I look for it on internet and in some page of idioms. Try has many combinations

Thanks for your link, I didn't know that page