かのように・かのようだ meaning ほど


かのように and ほど translate to seems, or look like. I'm confused about the meaning
or how to use it, when to use it.




**X かのよう** is just like saying "can almost make us believe that X", being
faithful to its connotation. It is used to introduce a 100% counterfactual
figure of speech, where the speaker is fully aware that X is not actually
happening.

**ほど** tells equivalence. 「A ほど B」 can be usually translated "so B that A":
天に届くほど高い "so high that (it) reaches to the heavens". However, of course people
sometimes use hyperbole. My 天に届くほど高い, in the literal sense, can be only
applied to the tower of Babel (or space elevators?), but they may employ it
for Tokyo Skytree or Burj Khalifa, which are not remotely true.

