One of My Pet Peeves . . . .

One of my pet peeves within the world of writing is when people write (and say) "and" instead of "to" in this context:

You should try and live a good life.

No!

You should try to live a good life.

In this first instance, you're basically suggesting two activities: you should try (something); and you should also live a good life.

But there are NOT two different things going on; there is just one thing: an attempt to live a good life.

So the sentence should be: You should try to live a good life.

Got it? Good! I hate, hate, hate when people get that screwed-up -- and way too many do. Including a local Buffalo radio talk show host whose name I won't mention. But every time I hear him say it wrong, I want to beat my car radio with a hammer.