In the page 233, CH10 of the 3rd edition SC book it says:
"Numbers is possible in a few contexts. If you wish to make a comparison, use GREATER THAN, not MORE THAN (which might imply that the quantity of numbers is larger, not the numbers themselves)."

I do not understand this difference in meaning. Could any instructor explain the difference giving examples?
Thanks!

"Numbers" is VERY rarely used correctly, so I wouldn't spend too much time on this topic.

The wording is a little tricky there. First, the distinction between a quantity of numbers vs. the numbers themselves. Let's substitute the word "bills" (as in money). The number of bills in my wallet has increased - does that mean that the actual value of the money has increased? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I had one $100 bill before and have two $5 bills now. Similarly, there's a difference between talking about the number of numbers you have (say, there are 5 numbers in a set, and those 5 numbers are 1, 2, 4, 6, 8), and the value of those numbers. If I want to something is increasing here, I have to word it correctly to make clear whether I'm talking about the number of numbers in the set increasing (there are now 6 numbers in the set: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9) or the value of the numbers (there are still only 5 numbers, but the numbers are now 2, 6, 9, 12, 14). See the problem?

So, we just need to remember that, when using "numbers" in a comparison, we should use "greater than" (not "more than") to make very clear that we're talking about the actual numbers themselves increasing, not the "number of numbers" in a possible set.

As I said, it's very rare to see "numbers" at all on the test, let alone used correctly - so don't worry about it too much!

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Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director of Online Community
ManhattanGMAT

Nice explanation!!

I'm glad it helped!

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Ben Ku
Instructor
ManhattanGMAT

Hello Stacey,

Can you please explain using the following question, OG Verbal 72

[Moderator: Deleted because the OG is a banned source; it is illegal to post OG questions anywhere on the web. If you are in one of our classes, please ask OG questions during office hours or before/after class.]

Also, can you give an example of a sentence, where we will use More Than instead of Greater Than

Thanks

it is illegal to post OG questions anywhere on the web. If you are in one of our classes, please ask OG questions during office hours or before/after class.

_________________
Ben Ku
Instructor
ManhattanGMAT