[chryuop]

The first time I met ーようにする I was happy because we have in my language (Italian) the same noun, same preposition, same verb in the same form so I assumed it had the same meaning of my language. It was a relieve because that form can assume so many different meanings that are not easy to study one by one. In fact when I moved to the USA I was in trouble because I didn't know how to translate it (and we use that form alot).

When I started studying on textbooks and arrived to this grammatical part I was disappointed. What I thought was all wrong. All the textbooks I have translate it as "try". But the meaning I was giving to it is not just "try". I will give some example (literal translation from Italian, so wrong Japanese). We can use it for commands like 犬に今夜餌を与えるようにしろ　(tonight feed the dogs); it can be used for requests 仕事に1時間ほど前に行くようにできませんか　(could you come to work 1 hour earlier?); or even for instructions ３Ｄ映画をよく見られるため、めがねを使うようにする べき　(to see well a movie in 3d you should wear glasses). None of those actually translate with a "try". Even when my mother used to tell me やさいを食べるようにしてください it was not really a "please try" LOL.
Anyway since then I started treating ーようにする・ーとする・－てみる all the same as "try".

Last month I bought a new textbook and this one gave a difference between the first 2 forms. It said that ーとする is meant for trying something at the moment, while ーようにする is used more like a continuous time (such as changing a habit). Still not the use I thought it was, but at least I was given a difference.

NOW...last night reading a book I found this phrase: ナイフを取って出すと、刃先を婆さんに見せるようにし て猿ぐつわを外した。 I see this in phrase a usage of ようにする similar to the one I am used to and not a "try" meaning: pulled out the knife and making sure to show the blade to the old woman, he took off her gag.

So how do I treat it? As a simple "try"?
I know it is a weird question, but I hope it makes sense to you...too LOL.