as much as

[klater]

Manhattan GMAT 5th editon Chapter9 P175

"This newspaper cost 50 cents as much as that one."

What's wrong with this sentence, and how to correct it?

Thanks.

[RonPurewal]

Manhattan GMAT 5th editon Chapter9 P175

"This newspaper cost 50 cents as much as that one."

What's wrong with this sentence, and how to correct it?

Thanks.

It's nonsense. "As much as" isn't quantified by a number, because it means "equal".

If you mean to say that the prices are the same, you'd just write This newspaper costs as much as that one.

If you mean to say that each of them costs 50 cents, you could write This newspaper costs 50 cents, as much as that one. (Notice "comma + as much as that one" is now a modifier describing the price.)

Or, if the 50 cents is a differential, then you could write This newspaper costs 50 cents more than / less than that one.

Remember that you should not think about how to "fix" sentences.
Just think about what's right and what's wrong.