New week, new grammar:

として

として describes the situation whereby something, acts as or simply in the capacity. For example;

日本語を勉強している人として、毎日勉強するべきだ。
As a Japanese language student, you should study everyday.

日本に住んでいる時、英語の先生として、働いていた。
When I was living in Japan, I worked as an English teacher

と言えば

Breaking this down, its easy to derive its meaning. In most contexts, its meaning suggests, 'if we talk about' or 'talking about' and usually precedes when the topic has been mentioned.

A: ジョンさんは今日の日本語授業に行かなかったと聞いた。
B: うんそうだ、ジョンさんと言えば、まだ東京から来る日本人を付き合っているの？

A: I heard John didn't go to today's Japanese class.
B: Yeah, speaking of John, is he still going out with that Japanese girl from Tokyo?

と言えば always comes when the topic has been introduced and is understand by the listener. The function works very much the same way in English.

Sometimes, the actually subject of the と言えば can be substituted for それ which becomes そう; Using the above example again...

B: そう言えば、まだ東京から来る日本人を付き合っているの？

Here the そう would be understood as John. It can also be used to elicit more information from the speaker. Again, its fairly rudimentary when you compare directly to English.

Speaking of which, do you think English is harder than Japanese?

Ho-ho-ho...

ほど

The use of ほど has several meanings. Firstly you may recognise the following structure;

イギリスの冬はロシアの冬ほど、寒くないよ
English winters aren't as cold as Russian winters.

ほど can be taken to mean, 'as' or 'like' but generally we shall focus on the meaning 'to the extent of'

昨日、頭が痛くなるほど、日本語を勉強した。
Yesterday, I studied Japanese to the extent that my head hurt. (lit. becomes painful.)

If you really love/hate someone you can also use it to good effect.

会うために、東京まで歩くほど、彼女が好きだよ。
I love my girlfriend to the extent that I would walk to Tokyo in order to meet her.

いつ歩いていくるアメリカ人を見ても、道を渡るほどアメリカが大嫌いだよ。
I hate America to the extent that, whenever I see an American walking towards me, I cross the street. (Not really, I love America!)