OG 101 请教

xiaoyue45084508

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
(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.
请问：OG解释中黑体字部分是什么意思？难道less 是名词？
那么什么时候用 less 什么时候用 lower，有比较客观的判断标准吗？难道光凭语感判断？
谢谢大家！

xiaoyue45084508

要掉下去了，顶一下。
没有人看看吗？

guhuo

In my opinion is ...

.... amounted to less money than one percent of the $541 billion ...

less = less money

Just feel that way...^^

peajack

我认为LESS在这里作为代词，这样好理解。不知对否？

nickt

作amount to 的宾语

juh

agree upstairs:

a noun (less) 作amount to 的宾语

carolhide

[此贴子已经被作者于2006-4-4 15:41:19编辑过]

cocomalawi

以下是引用nickt在2005-4-1 19:52:00的发言：

作amount to 的宾语

顶

dreambirds

以下是引用peajack在2005-4-1 19:12:00的发言：
我认为LESS在这里作为代词，这样好理解。不知对否？

LESS不能做代词,指代不清.