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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
Is greater wrong because greater is supposed to be used w/ countable and amount is used w uncountable??
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
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sheru34766 wrote:
Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to a sum greater than one half of overall cost of operating a Major League Baseball team last year, Major League Baseball franchise owners were still willing to pay increasingly higher salaries to top players.

A. amounts to a sum greater
B. amounts to more
C. amounted to more
D. amounted to a greater sum
E. amounted to greater



A - Incorrect - Costs is plural, and "amounts to" is singular. Also, "greater" should be used with countable quantities
B - Incorrect - Costs is plural, and "amounts to" is singular.
C - Correct ( "one half" is uncountable, so "more" should be used.)
D - "greater" should be used with countable quantities
E - "greater" should be used with countable quantities
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
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+1 c

Kill A and B for subject/verb agreement

Kill D and E because greater is a word that is used when numbers can be counted
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
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When referring to a fraction or a percentage, we generally use more than. Therefore the answer is C and not E.
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to a sum greater than one half of the overall cost of operating a Major League Baseball team last year, Major League Baseball franchise owners were still willing to pay increasingly higher salaries to top players.

amounts to a sum greater
amounts to more
amounted to more
amounted to a greater sum
amounted to greater

Can anyone please explain the difference between greater and more with respect to above passage and answer choice analysis. I understand that greater is used to describe nouns that denote number and more is used to describe both countable and uncountable noun. But I am unable to apply the fundamentals. In above passage greater is referring to costs then should not be it the right answer? :?:
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
Expert Reply
raks38 wrote:
Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to a sum greater than one half of the overall cost of operating a Major League Baseball team last year, Major League Baseball franchise owners were still willing to pay increasingly higher salaries to top players.

amounts to a sum greater
amounts to more
amounted to more
amounted to a greater sum
amounted to greater

Can anyone please explain the difference between greater and more with respect to above passage and answer choice analysis. I understand that greater is used to describe nouns that denote number and more is used to describe both countable and uncountable noun. But I am unable to apply the fundamentals. In above passage greater is referring to costs then should not be it the right answer? :?:


Hi, Please follow the rules before posting. This question has been discussed in the above thread.
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
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You are correct. 'Greater' becomes relevant only when a numeral is prevalent. Since no numbers have been indicated, use of greater is dictionally wrong. Drop A, D, and E.
Between B and C, use of present tense in B is wrong.
Coming to 'more' we can use more in two instances. 1. We describe a higher volume that is taken a single mass, and then we can use more/less. Here there is no question of counting the volume as one, two, and three.etc.
Example: There is more violence among boys than among girls.
We can also use more in countable cases in respect of three measures namely, money, time and distance, even though numerals and plural nouns may be involved.
Examples:
The marathon runs a distance of 26 miles and 385 yards, which is more than 40000 meters.
This Peter England trouser costs at least two thousand rupees more than a Big Bazaar trouser.
It took me thirty minutes more/less than what it took for Tom.

Originally posted by daagh on 12 Jun 2017, 04:38.
Last edited by daagh on 20 Jun 2017, 21:39, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
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daagh wrote:
"A sum" in the given context refers to a singular measure, a collective noun that acts as a singular and hence the right comparative degree of adjective will be the “more” normally used for the non-countable. The sentence is set in the past and hence it requires a past verb just as the ‘were’ used in the un-underlined part of the sentence.


Hi Can you please explain why option E is incorrect. I think Greater than refers to costs and costs is a plural number form .
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
sheru34766 wrote:
Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to a sum greater than one half of overall cost of operating a Major League Baseball team last year, Major League Baseball franchise owners were still willing to pay increasingly higher salaries to top players.

A. amounts to a sum greater
B. amounts to more
C. amounted to more
D. amounted to a greater sum
E. amounted to greater



Cost is itself a "number " . So why we can't use greater here ..
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
daagh wrote:
You are correct. 'Greater' becomes relevant only when a numeral is prevalent. Since no numbers have been indicated, use of greater is dictionally wrong. Drop A, D, and E. As we understand- "greater" is used with UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS that are quantity noun/words, such as percentage, rate, price, cost, weight, population etc. Example: The area of Karnataka is greater than that of Tamil Nadu.
Similarly, in this example: costs of basketball players => COSTS fit into this category of UNCOUNTABLE referring to a quantity. HOW IS GREATER WRONG? Request you to please elaborate. Thanks in advance.


Between B and C, use of present tense in B is wrong.
Coming to 'more' we can use more in two instances. 1. We describe a higher volume that is taken a single mass, and then we can use more/less. Here there is no question of counting the volume as one, two, and three.etc.
Example: There is more violence among boys than among girls.
We can also use more in countable cases in respect of three measures namely, money, time and distance, even though numerals and plural nouns may be involved.
Examples:
The marathon runs a distance of 26 miles and 385 yards, which is more than 40000 meters.
This Peter England trouser costs at least two thousand rupees more than a Big Bazaar trouser.
It took me thirty minutes more/less than what it took for Tom.
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
I have the same question. Request experts to please explain this.

sobby wrote:
sheru34766 wrote:
Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to a sum greater than one half of overall cost of operating a Major League Baseball team last year, Major League Baseball franchise owners were still willing to pay increasingly higher salaries to top players.

A. amounts to a sum greater
B. amounts to more
C. amounted to more
D. amounted to a greater sum
E. amounted to greater



Cost is itself a "number " . So why we can't use greater here ..
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
I am unable to find the relevant explanation in this thread, Abhimahna. Sorry. Could you please help? Thanks

abhimahna wrote:
raks38 wrote:
Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to a sum greater than one half of the overall cost of operating a Major League Baseball team last year, Major League Baseball franchise owners were still willing to pay increasingly higher salaries to top players.

amounts to a sum greater
amounts to more
amounted to more
amounted to a greater sum
amounted to greater

Can anyone please explain the difference between greater and more with respect to above passage and answer choice analysis. I understand that greater is used to describe nouns that denote number and more is used to describe both countable and uncountable noun. But I am unable to apply the fundamentals. In above passage greater is referring to costs then should not be it the right answer? :?:


Hi, Please follow the rules before posting. This question has been discussed in the above thread.
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
Can some expert please take this up? Thanks in advance.
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
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Re: Even though the costs of paying baseball players amounts to [#permalink]
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