What effect is achieved when using the gerundive form versus the infinitive form in this sentence?

Question

Gerundive: Try getting some rest.
Infinitive: Try to get some rest.
My textbook says that the former means "Attempt to get some rest" while the latter means to "try getting some rest as a possible solution to the problem".
They feel very familiar and I find them indistinguishable if I were to see them in a text.
Thus, I have the following questions:

Can they be used interchangeably, or is one more grammatically correct than the other?
If so, why does being gerundive or infinitive impart a different meaning to the two phrases?
What grammatical functions do gerunds and infinitives play other than changing the function of a verb to a noun, adjective, or adverb?

BillJ · Answer

[1] Try [getting some rest].
[2] Try [to get some rest].

There is a difference in meaning.
[1] means "test the effectiveness of", while [2] means "endeavour".
Both clauses are functioning as complement of "try".

Kate Bunting · Answer

I would say it was the other way round!
The infinitive (the latter) means 'Attempt to do it'. You might advise someone recovering from an illness to try to get some rest because it would help them.
The gerund[ive] functions like a noun. As your textbook says, 'getting some rest' is suggested as a possible solution to a problem (such as not being able to think clearly).
Neither is 'more correct' than the other, but there is this slight difference in meaning.

Patrick D · Answer

It's all a matter of "point of view" from the speaker.
"getting" is thematic. "-ing" is about an activity already experienced (in the past). "-ing" is looking backwards, so to speak ;)
"to get" is rhematic. "to" is about a destination, about something to be experienced (in the future). "to" is looking forward ;)

What effect is achieved when using the gerundive form versus the infinitive form in this sentence?

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