try vs. try on

[Sweetpumpkin]

Hello, guys,

When you go to a clothing shop, you want to wear some clothes to know whether they suit you or not. In this situation, we say 'try on', like "Can I try these on?"

How about using only 'try'? "Can I try these blouses?" Is it ungrammatical? Isn't it used? Would you say it is wrong to say without on, "Can I try these trousers"? I'm curious.

Thank you for your reply in advance.
sweetpumpkin

[Mister Micawber]

.
Many of my students try the same thing. It isn't used, although there is nothing really wrong with it. For clothing, we use 'try on'; for equipment, we use 'try'.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber