Try and Learn Better English

It is a constant source of annoyance to this grammar geek how people write or say “try and…” It doesn’t make any sense to say “I’m going to try and finish that project today” or “She said she’d try and come to the party.” It should be “try to,” as in “I’m going to try to finish that project today” or “She said she’d try to come to the party.” When the “and” replaces the “to” it makes the meaning of the sentence “she is going to try” and “she is going to come to the party.” But what is it that she going to try?

I understand (to some extent) if this is part of colloquial spoken language. However, I see this usage more frequently in novels and articles today, and arguably, writers should know better.

So, please, try and improve!

--Curly