Q: What would you recommend as a dictionary for family use? — Tom

Moriarty, Niantic, Conn.

A: That's easy: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English

Language, Fourth Edition. Though pricey at about $60, it's both attractive and

authoritative.

Kids will love its large type, sample sentences that exemplify each

word's definition and full-color photos and illustrations (from Hank Aaron to

zucchini). Teenagers and adults will savor the AHD's special features,

including explanations of usage questions, word histories and regional usage.

My favorite treats are the nifty "Living Language Notes," which offer

short takes on how we actually speak. For instance, one explains that, when a

teenager says, "Mom was all, like, 'Go do your homework now!'" he may not

be quoting his mom directly but "summarizing her attitude at the time by

stating what she might have said, had she chosen to speak." Good to know.

For families with older children and/or tighter budgets, you can't go

wrong with Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition ($26.95). I

was given the Collegiate on my 12th birthday, and I've kept it handy ever

since.

Q: Years ago, when I was in school, I was taught to use "to" after the

verb "to try." Lately, I have seen only "try and" Which is correct? Since I

proofread for our monthly condominium newsletter, I should get it right. —

Shirley Zeldis via email.

A: I would imagine the idea of trying to do something comes up quite

often in condominium newsletters, e.g., "Please try to park in your assigned

spot"; "Please try to keep the noise down at the pool."

As you were taught, "try to" is correct. When you think about it, "try

and" doesn't make sense; either you're trying to do something or you're

doing it, not both.

Yet, we probably hear people say "try and" more than "try to," e.g.,

"Try and park in the assigned spot." My hunch is that plain old laziness plays

a role here; "try to," with its two successive "t" sounds, is harder to say

than "try and."

A usage note in the aforementioned American Heritage Dictionary reports

that 65 percent of the dictionary's usage panel rejected "try and." Usage

authority Bryan Garner classifies "try and" as a "Stage 4" on his Language-Change Index: "virtually universal but opposed on cogent grounds by a few linguistic stalwarts (die-hard snoots)."

Call me a snoot and a stalwart (a snootwart?), but I'll try to stick

with "try to."

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff,

Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.