OG-101
101. Even though the direct costs of malpractice disputes amounts to a sum lower than one percent of the $541 billion the nation spent on health care last year, doctors say fear of lawsuits plays a major role in health-care inflation.
(A) amounts to a sum lower
(B) amounts to less
(C) amounted to less
(D) amounted to lower（C）
(E) amounted to a lower sum
The correct choice must feature a verb that agrees with the plural noun costs and refers to an action completed last year (past tense). The verb amounts in A and B fulfills neither condition, and amounts to a sum in A is redundant. The same redundancy occurs in E, and the construction a lower sum than is awkward and imprecise in the context of the sentence. In D, the adjective lower is erroneously used in place of the noun less as object of the preposition to. Choice C is best.
这里less怎么是个noun; 我查了less的用法，adv., determiner, preposition;
| less 与 lower | 1. lower 是长度概念：比…矮；比…短 |
| 2. less 是数量概念：比…少，GMAT中常用less |
LDOCE
less determiner, pronoun
1
a) a smaller amount or not as much
ￚopposite moreDoctors recommend eating less salt.
People today seem to have less time for each other.
Most of us got £4 an hour, but some received even less.
less of
The map covered less of the area than I'd thought.Flying is less of a risk than driving.
less (...) than
She knows less than I do about it.
less than 10/100 etc a distance of less than 100 metres
less determiner,不知道这个determiner是什么意思，是不是美国人把它（还有代词）分类到了名词里了，但是从本句来看，它是一个名词比较牵强；我觉得重要的是考虑less than 这个词组的用法。
than 是"比"的意思
LDOCE
less determiner, pronoun
1
a) a smaller amount or not as much
ￚopposite moreDoctors recommend eating less salt.
People today seem to have less time for each other.
Most of us got £4 an hour, but some received even less.
less of
The map covered less of the area than I'd thought.Flying is less of a risk than driving.
less (...) than
She knows less than I do about it.
less than 10/100 etc a distance of less than 100 metres
less determiner,不知道这个determiner是什么意思，是不是美国人把它（还有代词）分类到了名词里了，但是从本句来看，它是一个名词比较牵强；我觉得重要的是考虑less than 这个词组的用法。
webster collegiate dictionary:
Main Entry:3less
Function:noun
Inflected Form:plural less
Date:before 12th century
1 : a smaller portion or quantity
2 : something of less importance
兰登书屋大学辞典
less,ｎ．a smaller amount or quantity:
eg. She eats less every day.
不知这样理解less通不通？请指正
我发现三本美国人出的字典里都有less 作为名词的用法。
此题中，如果把less替换成a smaller quantity,则原句变成disputes amounts to a smaller quantity than one percent of ....这样看就比较通了
以上引自
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Avantasia大人答OG102中的发言
既然如此，为什么lower这个形容词不行呢？
The point is to choose a appropriate adj. to modify different nouns.
High/low can be used to modify cost(s) or price:
High production costs lead to high prices in the shops. (Longman)
However, as for money, we should use much/little as adj., like what OG says.
In my opinion,"less than one percent of ... billion" is the object of the preposition "to".
less如果是名词，less than 在语法上通吗？请教nn
OG11th解释得很清楚啦，the sentence does require a noun(less),not an adjective(lower), as the object of the preposition "to"~~
但我不明白的是，N+than 是个什么用法啊？这里面既然less是名词的话就没有比较级这一说了，这个句子是怎么回事？？？
OG11th解释得很清楚啦，the sentence does require a noun(less),not an adjective(lower), as the object of the preposition "to"~~
但我不明白的是，N+than 是个什么用法啊？这里面既然less是名词的话就没有比较级这一说了，这个句子是怎么回事？？？
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