< Japanese < Grammar

Comparison

  • 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 ...

  • <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.
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