ば〜ほど

The expression ば〜ほど is used to show that as one condition becomes stronger or more frequent, another result becomes stronger or more pronounced. The first clause uses the ば-form (for verbs, the る- or irregular-verb stem in its えば form; for i-adjectives, くれば/ければ; for na-adjectives and nouns, であれば/でなければ). The second clause in ほど indicates that the effect increases in proportion to the degree of the first condition. It’s commonly used to describe increasing proficiency, quantity, or intensity, often with verbs such as なる, 上がる, 深まる, 増える, etc., but can pair with many predicates. Typical contexts include personal effort, prices, quality, or popularity.