Japanese/Grammar/～ほど

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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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