标题: 【求问】GWD-TN-24-8 [打印本页] 作者: 晓野的野 时间: 2013-3-24 10:57 标题: 【求问】GWD-TN-24-8 Employment costs rose 2.8 percent in the 12 months that ended in September, slightly less than they did in the year that ended in the previous quarter.
Although I don't think it is the relevant issue in this one, "employment costs" might be either countable or uncountable, depending on the context. You could count the various components (employment costs = hiring + training + salary + benefits + etc.). On the other hand, you could lump all of these costs into one amount, which would be uncountable.
Uncountable is probably the intended meaning here, as it says the costs "rose" not "increased in number."
Either "less" or "lower" could work with an uncountable quantity, so what do we really need to know about these words?
--"less" is a comparative that means "smaller in size, amount, degree, etc."
--"lower" is a comparative that is the opposite of higher.
I think the relevant amount is not the "employment costs" but the percent by which the costs rose. I think "less than" more clearly conveys the idea that employment costs rose 2.8% in the year ending in September, while employment costs rose <2.8% in the year ending in June.
If you wanted to use "lower than" correctly, you would need a noun in the second part of the comparison (e.g. "2.8% is lower than the percent for last quarter). Both (D) and (E) can be eliminated on this basis. (D) has no noun in the second part of the comparison. (E) has "they" = costs, which is the wrong noun, in the second part of the comparison.
