極力

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 極力 is an adverb read きょくりょく, meaning as much as possible or to the utmost extent one can manage.
• Basic usage: Place it before a verb, as in 極力使わない for avoiding use and 極力減らす for reducing something as far as possible.
  • 会議では専門用語を極力使わないようにした。 describes trying to avoid technical terms as much as possible in a meeting; 資源の無駄を極力減らす方法を考えた。 describes considering ways to reduce resource waste as much as possible.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 極力使わない
  • Before a negative verb, it means avoiding the action to the greatest practical extent.
• 極力減らす
  • It also modifies an affirmative verb and maximizes the effort to reduce something.
• ようにした
  • This shows a deliberate effort to follow the policy of avoiding technical terms.