Comparison
edit- Only used for negative verbs.
- Has a different nuance when used with positive verbs.
- Examples
- バンクーバーは東京ほど暑くない。
- Vancouver is not as hot as Tokyo.
It was ... to the extent that I could/couldn't/did/didn't ...
edit- <some activity> ほど <condition>
- The condition (e.g., heat, noise) was so great, that it caused something else.
- In "Making Sense of Japanese" by Jay Rubin, he compares it to the old joke of "It was so hot/cold/etc that <some funny thing occurred because of it>."
- Examples
- 勉強ができないほど暑かった。
- It was so hot that I couldn't study.