# All I did was try/trying to



## Evelio123

¿Cual es la forma correcta de decirlo?...

All i did was trying to give you my entire heart.??

All i did was try to give you my entire heart.??

¿Cual? y ¿Porque?


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## Gamen

Yo diría: "All I did was to try to give you my entire heart". La preposición "to" considero que debe estar en este caso.

Pero no soy nativo. Veamos qué opinan los nativos entonces...


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## antropólogo

Evelio123 said:


> All i did was trying to give you my entire heart.??
> 
> All i did was try to give you my entire heart.??



No sé la razón. De todos modos, "All I did was try to give you all my heart" me suena un poco más natural que "All I did was try to give you my entire heart." 

Y Gamen, está bien con _to try_ pero yo prefiero sin el "to." Estoy seguro de que alguien preferiría "to try."


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## Evelio123

antropólogo said:


> No sé la razón. De todos modos, "All I did was try to give you all my heart" me suena un poco más natural que "All I did was try to give you my entire heart."
> 
> Y Gamen, está bien con _to try_ pero yo prefiero sin el "to." Estoy seguro de que alguien preferiría "to try."



Thanks!


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## Forero

_All I do is_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._
_All I did was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._
_All I was doing was trying to give you my whole heart._


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## Nipnip

Forero said:


> _All I do is_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._
> _All I did was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._
> _All I was doing was trying to give you my whole heart._



So, does it have to do with keeping verb agreement? I was just thinking of:

All I am doing is trying to help you. _Both gerunds

_But then, _I have done nothing but love you and care for you?

_


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## Eddie P

_All I *do* is__ try to give you my whole heart._ (present)_
All I *did *was__ try to give you my whole heart._ (past)
All I *was doing* was trying to give you my whole heart. (past progressive)
All I *am doing* is trying to give you my whole heart. (present progressive)
All *I've done* *has been* _to try to give you my whole heart. (present perfect)
All *I had done* *had been* __to try to give you my whole heart. (past perfect)
__All I*'ve been doing* is _trying to give you my whole heart. (present perfect progressive)
_All I *had been doing* is _trying to give you my whole heart. (present perfect progressive)

I hope this helps and if someone knows the correct ways, help us.


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## Forero

Eddie P said:


> _All I *do* is__ try to give you my whole heart._ (present)_
> All I *did *was__ try to give you my whole heart._ (past)
> All I *was doing* was trying to give you my whole heart. (past progressive)
> All I *am doing* is trying to give you my whole heart. (present progressive)
> All *I've done* *has been* _to try to give you my whole heart. (present perfect)
> All *I had done* *had been* __to try to give you my whole heart. (past perfect)
> __All I*'ve been doing* is _trying to give you my whole heart. (present perfect progressive)
> _All I *had been doing* is _trying to give you my whole heart. (present perfect progressive)
> 
> I hope this helps and if someone knows the correct ways, help us.


Todas correctas, y hay muchas más posibilidades:

_All I had done was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._
_All I had done was tried to give you my whole heart._ (past participle)
_All I did do was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._ (emphatic past tense)
_All I could do was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._ (infinitive)
_All I wanted to do was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._ (infinitive)

Lo importante es que solo el verbo _do_ puede usarse así, y siempre con objetos directos como _what_, _all_, _the only thing_, _nothing but_, etc., que representan cosas no nombradas.


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## aprendiendo argento

> All I did was try and give you my whole heart.


is what you can hear in Hollywood sitcoms.


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## Evelio123

Forero said:


> Todas correctas, y hay muchas más posibilidades:
> 
> _All I had done was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._
> _All I had done was tried to give you my whole heart._ (past participle)
> _All I did do was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._ (emphatic past tense)
> _All I could do was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._ (infinitive)
> _All I wanted to do was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._ (infinitive)
> 
> Lo importante es que solo el verbo _do_ puede usarse así, y siempre con objetos directos como _what_, _all_, _the only thing_, _nothing but_, etc., que representan cosas no nombradas.



Porque el 'to' se omite allí?

All i do is (to) try to give........


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## Evelio123

Evelio123 said:


> Porque el 'to' se omite allí?
> 
> All i do is (to) try to give........



Y de que otras formas u otros verbos que no sean 'do' se pueden omitir!?


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## Evelio123

Forero said:


> Todas correctas, y hay muchas más posibilidades:
> 
> _All I had done was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._
> _All I had done was tried to give you my whole heart._ (past participle)
> _All I did do was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._ (emphatic past tense)
> _All I could do was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._ (infinitive)
> _All I wanted to do was_ (_to_)_ try to give you my whole heart._ (infinitive)
> 
> Lo importante es que solo el verbo _do_ puede usarse así, y siempre con objetos directos como _what_, _all_, _the only thing_, _nothing but_, etc., que representan cosas no nombradas.



Lo que acabas de explicar 'y siempre con objetos directos como _what_, _all_, _the only thing_, _nothing but_, etc., que representan cosas no nombradas' es lo que necesitaba!, THANK YOU SO MUCH!


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## Eddie P

*(to try to give) sounds redundant to me by using (to) (to) on verbs but here is another kind of attempt...

All I do to help you is, give you examples and ideas.*
*All I try to give you is, my whole heart.*


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## Forero

Eddie P said:


> *(to try to give) sounds redundant to me by using (to) (to) on verbs but here is another kind of attempt...
> 
> All I do to help you is, give you examples and ideas.*
> *All I try to give you is, my whole heart.*


Yes, "to try to give" is a little redundant but not wrong. "To try and give" puede usarse también.

Las dos frases están bien, excepto que no conviene la coma.


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## Eddie P

*Cool. Thanks so much.*


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## JennyTW

I agree, except that you shouldn't put a comma after is.


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## Eddie P

*All I tried to do was helping my brother come out from the swimming pool.
All I tried to teach was verbs and small sentences but my class was so tired.

I hope this helps too.
*


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## JennyTW

All I tried to do was HELP my brother get out OF the swimming pool", sería más correcto.


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## Eddie P

*I kind of disagree if someone says...

All I tried to do was GO to the park.

I would rather say...

All I tried to do was -- going to the park and have a nice time.

All I was trying to do is stay with you in the park.

How about those?  *


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## JennyTW

Sorry, but  with "going" it's completely wrong. And your usage is very inconsistent because if you think "going" is right, how can you then say "and HAVE"? Or why should changing from "try" to trying" suddenly make "go" alright for you? It's the structure or verb used that determines what form the verb ater it takes, not the tense it's in.


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## Eddie P

*"All I tried to do was GO to the park"* sounds like if someone is telling you something then decides to stop and tell you GO DO SOMETHING.

Example:

*"All I tried to do was GO to school already." she said.*

*"All I tried to do is staying in my room studying."* *she said.*

I'm not trying to be inconsistent. I'm trying to look for possibilities and hoping real English teachers can help us improve in more grammar rules and give us more options.


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## JennyTW

I am a real English teacher and in his thread I, along with three other people, have stated that the construction "All I tried to do is staying in my room studying" is WRONG. What more can we do? If you don't want to believe us that's your choice.


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## Eddie P

JennyTW said:


> Sorry, but  with "going" it's completely wrong. And your usage is very inconsistent because if you think "going" is right, how can you then say "and HAVE"? Or why should changing from "try" to trying" suddenly make "go" alright for you? It's the structure or verb used that determines what form the verb ater it takes, not the tense it's in.



I still disagree with your comment. Why? 

Words that end in "ing" are called *gerunds* and they can be used for the present and the past.

*Examples:
All I'm doing is watching TV. (present continues)
All I was doing is washing the dishes (past continues)*

Another tangible example double-click the links of my research.

*All I was doing was breathing.*
http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/M/Mirabai/AllIWasDoing.htm

*All I'm doing is losing (you).*
http://www.lyricstime.com/trembling-blue-stars-all-i-m-doing-is-losing-lyrics.html


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## JennyTW

As an English teacher I do actually know what a gerund is, and the thing is, at the beginning of this thread we'd already established that if you begin with a continuous tense it's fine to put the gerund after. (All I'm doing is trying....) It's when you DON'T begin with a continuous tense that it's not (All I did was try..).


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## Eddie P

Here is another example guys!

*Seems like all they really were doing was waiting for love*

Still don't believe me? Check the lyrics of Real Love (John Lennon Cover) on the link below...

http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858667504/


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## JennyTW

Eddie P said:


> I gave you proof of links and I guess still you don't get it my dear friend.
> Just allow me to give you another one!
> 
> All I *was *afraid of *is SAYING *good-bye.
> 
> Check this out!
> *http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/358136-all-i-was-afraid-of-is-saying-good-bye*



This example is a completely different kettle of fish. We only have the verb "was" in the first part, not a continuous tense and what follows has to be a noun ( all I was afraid of was the dark). If we want to use a verb we have to use the gerund which is the noun form of the verb (all I was afraid of is saying goodbye). And careful. This is not present continuous, it's "is" followed by the gerund as noun.


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## JennyTW

Eddie P said:


> Here is another example guys!
> 
> *Seems like all they really were doing was waiting for love*
> 
> Still don't believe me? Check the lyrics of Real Love (John Lennon Cover) on the link below...
> 
> http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858667504/



  Have you not seen what I wrote in the post before this one? I just feel like I'm wasting my time here so I'll say goodbye


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## Eddie P

JennyTW said:


> This example is a completely different kettle of fish. We only have the verb "was" I the first part, not a continuous tense and what follows has to be a noun ( all I was afraid of was the dark). If we want to use a verb we have to use the gerund which is the noun form of the verb (all I was afraid of is saying goodbye). And careful. This is not present continuous, it's "is" followed by the gerund as noun.



But you are stating that the right way to say it is ...

All I *was *afraid of *is SAY *good-bye. (This is your rule not what I've learned)

Now, if you want to clarify things up, give us your examples and some kind of *tangible proof* (links) 
{if possible}


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## JennyTW

Eddie P said:


> But you are stating that the right way to say it is ...
> 
> All I *was *afraid of *is SAY *good-bye. (This is your rule not what I've learned)
> 
> Now, if you want to clarify things up, give us your examples and some kind of *tangible proof* (links)
> 
> 
> {if possible}



No, I am NOT stating that. That sentence was correct and I've explained why. Why don't you go back to the beginning of the thread and read carefully and try to digest what everyone has been saying? If you did that rather than searching for examples of sentences that we all agree are correct, you might actually learn something. Goodbye. .


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## danielfranco

I don't know about you, guys, but to me it seems that the "give/giving you my entire heart" is actually a phrase with the function of direct complement to the verb "to try." So in this particular case I would've written:
"All _*I*_ did was to try giving you my entire heart."

Then, I woulda said it without the "to" in regular conversation, dunno why…

But what do I know?


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## inib

Hello EddieP,
I think you are getting very mixed up.





> *EddieP* But you are stating that the right way to say it is ...
> 
> All I *was *afraid of *is SAY *good-bye. (This is your rule not what I've learned)


Where did Jenny say that? I can't see it.


> *EddieP* All I *tried *to do *was helping *you by *giving *you links and examples. (correct)


In my opinion, it is not correct. It should be "help", not "helping", and the reason for using "giving" is a completely different one from the subject we are discussing.


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## inib

I doubt you'll take more notice of me than anyone else, but I'll give it one try: We are all happy with "_help*ing*/wait*ing*/breath*ing*_" etc when the sentence starts in a continuous tense ie: _All I am/was do*ing*_.... But not otherwise. It's that simple.


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## Eddie P

inib said:


> I doubt you'll take more notice of me than anyone else, but I'll give it one try: We are all happy with "_help*ing*/wait*ing*/breath*ing*_" etc when the sentence starts in a *continuous *tense ie: _All I am/was do*ing*_.... But not otherwise. It's that simple.



Then allow me to ask you something...

Why is it that the example sentences I gave you weren't stated or made as these ones below?

All I really *was doing was WAIT* for you.
All I *was doing was TRY *to get home from work.
All I *was doing was BREATH.*

Here is another example of "ALL I'M *DOING IS LOSING*" as you requested
http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858542781/

 I do check for the verb, the continuous form and the gerunds. How do you make your patterns though?


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## frida-nc

> Why is it that the example sentences I gave you weren't stated or made as these ones below?
> 
> All I really *was doing was WAIT* for you.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All I *was doing was TRY *to get home from work.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All I *was doing was BREATH.*



*By the way, the examples above are all incorrect.*

My investigation turned up the term "pseudo-cleft sentence," particularly "pseudo-cleft with do."
If an outside link is needed, these might help:

http://www.englishforums.com/English/PseudoCleft/bczjkj/post.htm (first part of thread only)
http://books.google.com/books?id=q5NP6LjhPUcC&pg=PA134&lpg=PA134&dq="pseudo-cleft+with+do" (warning: technical!)


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## Eddie P

frida-nc said:


> *By the way, the examples above are all incorrect.*
> 
> My investigation turned up the term "pseudo-cleft sentence," particularly "pseudo-cleft with do."
> If an outside link is needed, these might help:
> 
> http://www.englishforums.com/English/PseudoCleft/bczjkj/post.htm (first part of thread only)
> http://books.google.com/books?id=q5NP6LjhPUcC&pg=PA134&lpg=PA134&dq="pseudo-cleft+with+do" (warning: technical!)



*Yes, that's what I was trying to tell them and I totally agree with you, Frida.

*_What you should *do* *is write* a letter to the manager. (simple present)
 What I need *to do* *is get* some rest. (simple present)
 What they *were doing* *was arguing* about which train to take. (past continues)
_What I can *do* *is call* for a taxi.(simple present)


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## JennyTW

So Frida's link proves to you once and for all that "All I tried to do was going to the park" is incorrect as I said, right?


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## frida-nc

> "All I tried to do was going to the park" is incorrect ...



That's true, too.  You must say, All I tried to do was (to) *go* to the park.  "To" is optional and usually omitted.


It's the same case as the one offered by Evelio in the first post:

All i did was try to give you ...

To give Eddie a little break, _reversing_ the phrase makes a difference; however, it's rarely said in this way:

Going to the park was all I tried to do.  (Putting it first makes the gerundive form ok.)
Giving you all my love was the only thing I wanted to do.


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## Forero

Eddie P said:


> *Yes, that's what I was trying to tell them and I totally agree with you, Frida.
> 
> *_What you should *do* *is write* a letter to the manager. (simple present)
> What I need *to do* *is get* some rest. (simple present)
> What they *were doing* *was arguing* about which train to take. (past continues)
> _What I can *do* *is call* for a taxi.(simple present)


The real issue is not tense but what form of the verb _do_ is involved. In the original sentence "All I did was ...", _did_ is in past tense. In three of these examples, _do_ is in infinitive form.

And _doing_ is a special case, whether or not it is part of a "continuous tense":

_All they kept doing was arguing._ [Not "argue".]
_She did not care for them doing whatever they pleased, hitting one another in particular._ [Not "hit".]
_All they did was argue and hit one another._ [Not "arguing". Not "hitting".]


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