Worth 用法1:

問:This book is worth reading. 請問 worth是個什麼詞?

答:《新英漢詞典》認為worth是形容詞,後接受詞。國外的許多語雷學家也把worth 用法看作是形容詞。但亦有其他學者則認為 worth 用法具有介系詞的文法特徵:支配名詞片語、支配帶邏輯主詞的動名詞以及what子句:

  1. San Francisco is worth frequent visits (or your visiting frequently). 舊金山值得經常參觀。
  2. The bicycle is not worth what you paid for it. 這輛腳踏車不偭你付出的那麼多錢。

小練習:請選出正確的答案
1. Only one of these books is ________.
A. worth to read
B. worth being read
C. worth of reading
D. worth reading
2. What do you think of the book?
   Oh, excellent. It’s worth _________ a second time.
A. to read
B. to be read
C. reading
D. being read

Worth 用法2:

問:The watch isn’t worth repairing. It isn’t worth repairing the watch. 我知道上面兩個有關worth 用法的句子都是正確的,但不知道如何分析後一個句子。

答:在後一個句子中,it是虛主詞,而動名詞結構 repairing the watch是真實主詞。見 worth 用法3。

Worth 用法3:

問:He’s worth listening to.從意義上看,He是 listening的邏輯主詞嗎?如果不是,那麽listening的邏輯主詞是誰呢?

答:從語意上看,He是 listening to的邏輯受詞,或者說,介系詞to的邏輯受詞。也只有在語意上充當邏輯受詞的成分,才能作 be worth的文法主詞。我們不能說:He is worth repairing car.下面是一些正面例句:

  1. She’s not worth getting angry with. 不值得跟她生氣。
  2. You are not worth helping. 你不值得幫助。

Worth用法4:

問:The car isn’t worth repairing. worth之後是不是只能跟動名詞?

答:除了動名詞之外,在 worth之後還可以跟名詞(或代名詞)和what子句。但是不能跟動詞不定詞

  1. It was worth at least fifty francs. 它至少值五十法郎。
  2. They thought the book worth publication. 他們認這本書值得出版。
  3. The bicycle is not worth what you paid for it. 這踏車不值你付的那些錢。

Worth 用法5:

問:If his object had been health for health’s sake, the result would still have been well worth any sacrifices of momentary desire that it cost him; but he had a higher purpose.
(原譯)如果他的目的是為健康而健康的話,那精果仍然是值得他一時的欲望而付出任何的代價;但實際他卻有更高的目的呢。(錢歌川:《英文一日一題》,p.212)
我認原譯不夠通順。請分析。

答:worth 用法在這裡的中文意思是“抵得上”,“(在價值上)相等” (of value equivalent to),“……是值得的”。請看 worth 用法在下列句子中的中文意義:

  1. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. 一鳥在手勝於兩鳥在林(或兩鳥在林不如一鳥在手).
  2. His rise in status is well worth the loss of money. 收入雖然減少了,社會地位卻提高了,這樣做還是很值得的。

其次應當指出,“any sacrifices of momentary desire”的意思是“播牲一時的欲望”,而不是“為了(滿足)一時的欲望而付出的任何代價”,即 momentary desire是 sacrifices的邏輯上的客體,儘管它在文法上是 sacrifices的形容詞片語。類似的例子:

  1. A war demands of us enormous sacrifices of life and property. 戰争需要我們在生命和財產方面做出巨大的犧牲。
  2. You will gain nothing by the sacrifice of your principles. 你靠犧牲原則是什麼也得不到的。

(試譯)如果他的目的是為健康而健康的話,那麽他犧牲一時的欲望所換來的結果,還是很值得的;但是實際上他卻有更高的目的。

Worth 用法6:

問:《英語慣用法詞典》(時代出版社,p.711) 認為 It is worth discussing the question again. 是錯誤的,因為 discussing是實際主詞,it是虛主詞,worth後面沒有受詞,所以不對。而必須改為The question is worth discussing again。但是,我在英語教科書中卻不只一次地讀過上面的被判為錯誤的用法。

答:現代文法學家和詞典大都承認 It is worth doing的用法是正確。的例如:

  1. It is scarcely worth going home. 你回家幾乎是不值得的。
  2. It isn’t worth waiting for him. 等待他是不值得的。
  3. it isn’t worth repairing the car. 修理道輛汽車是不值得的。

小練習:請選出正確的答案。
The Landon doubted if it was worth ______ a hundred miles to see the basketball game.
A. of driving
B. driving
C. drive
D. being driven

Worth 用法7:

問:In 1626 the island of Manhattan was bought from local Indians, Native Americans, for a handful of goods worth about $24. (《高中英語教科書》(選修)第三册(下),人民教育出版社、朗文出版集團有限公司,1998,p.1)
《新英漢詞典》(p.1632)指出,用作形容詞的worth 用法只能用作述語。但上句中的worth不像是用作述語。

答:誠然,worth常常用作述語,但是上句中的 worth about $24卻是 a handful of goods的形容詞,意思是“價值為”。worth( + n.)用作後置形容詞的實例俯拾即是:

  1. San Francisco is a city worth frequent visits. 舊金山是一座值得經常參觀的城市。
  2. He is stingy man not worth a cent. 他是一個一文不值的吝嗇男人。

(句意)曼哈頓島是一六二六年從當地印第安人(即美洲土著人)手裡買來的,所花的費用僅僅是價值約為二十四美元的一點點貨物。

Worth 用法8(worth being celebrated?):

問:The day when Hong Kong returned to China is worth being celebrated.(《高中英教科書》(選修)第三册(上),人民教育出版社、朗文出版集團有限公司,1997,p.80)
請問 worth being celebrated的用法是否正確?

答:上句中的 worth being celebrated的用法是錯誤的,應改為 worth celebrating,因為在sth. Is worth doing句型中,句子都主詞(sth.)必須是doing動作的客體(邏輯上的受詞)。

Worth 用法9(+複數名詞is/are):

問:n pounds’ worth of+複數名詞時,其動詞用單數形式,還是用複數形式?

答:根據F. T. Wood的解釋,n pounds’ worth of + 複數名詞時,其動詞有時用複數形式,有時用當數形式,這完全取決於上下文和所表達的真正意義。當充當of受詞的名詞具有重要的意義時,動詞用單數形式,當所表達的價值(value)具有重要意義時,則動詞用單數形式,請比較:

  1. Nearly a thousand pounds’ worth of cigarettes were stolen. (這裡所考慮的是香煙被盜,而不是它們的價值)大約價值一千英鎊的香煙被盜。
  2. There is nearly a thousand pounds’ worth of cigarettes on that shelf. (在這裡,我們腦子裡所想的是香煙的價值)在那個架子上的香煙的價值大約為一千英鎊。

Worth 用法10 (worth/worthy):

問:A:“I had to pay ten dollars for this book”
B:“It’s probably worthy it.”
請問這個句子的worth 用法錯誤何在?

答:worthy與worth 用法有一個很主要的差别:be worth之後可以直接跟由名詞或代名詞充當的受詞(worth ten dollars),而 be worthy則不能直接跟由名詞或代名詞充當的受詞,而必須通過of:

  1. His behaviour is worthy of great praise. 他的行值得高度讚揚。
  2. The teacher is worthy of respect. 這位教師很值得敬。

worth常常用在金錢方面(值……多少錢),而 worthy of則不能:

  1. How much is the picture worth? 這幅畫值多少錢?
  2. It was worth at least fifty francs.它至少值五十法郎。

worth 用法與 worthy的其他區别是:

A. worthy可以用作前置形容詞,而 worth則無這種用法:

  1. The school has graduated many worthy young people. 這所學校培養出了許多有為的青年人。
  2. He has had a worthy object in view. 他心目中有個崇高的目標。

B. worthy可以後接不定詞,而 worth 用法卻不能後接不定詞,參見 worth用法17。

從上面的例句不難看出,你所提間的句子中的 worthy 應當改為 worth。

Worth 用法11(worth/worthy of):

問:(A) His suggestion is worth considering.
(B) His suggestion is worthy of considering.
上面兩個句子的意義是否相同?

答:句(A)是正確的,因為當 worth 用法做述語時,雖然其主詞是接受動作者,但worth後的動名詞必須探用主動形式(considering)。句(B)則是錯的,因為充當述語的 worthy of的主同是接受動作者時,worthy of之後的動名詞或不定詞必須探用被動形式:

  1. Their deeds are worthy of being mentioned. 他們的事蹟值得一提。
  2. These old churches are worthy of being visited. 這些古老的教堂頗值得參觀。
  3. It is worthy of being remembered. 這是值得記住的。

(附注)中國内地有些英語著作認為在 worthy of之後接動名詞的主動形式是正確的:

This book is worthy of reading. (《英語難題解答40則》,p.267)

Worth 用法12(worth/worthy of):

問:Be very careful with this ancient vase as it is ________ a lot.
A. worthwhile
B. worth
C. worthy
D. worthy of
(研充所考試英語試題,83B)
《TOEFL、GRE解題時》(p.1090)給的正確答案是D. worthy of,而《英語考試題》給的正確答案卻是B. worth,究竟選擇哪個答案是正確的呢?

答:從文法上說,選 worthy of或者速 worth都是正確的。但從詞語搭配來看,則選 worth是正確的,因為 worth 用法可用於金錢方面,而 worthy of一般不用在金錢方面。(参見 worth用法4)

小練習:請選出正谁的答案。
I don’t think that your watch is _______.
A. worthy of the price
B. worth of the price
C. worth the price
D. worthy to buy

Worth用法13(worth doing/worth to do(?)):

問:The recent issue of this periodical is worth ________.
A. to read
B. reading
C. for you to read
D. for you reading
在 worth之後應當跟動詞不定詞,還是應當跟動名詞?

答:在sth. is worth doing 結構裏,worth之後只能跟名詞或勤名詞,而不能跟不定詞。注意,在worth doing這種句型裡,doing並不表示主動意義,而是表示被動意義:

  1. The car isn’t worth repairing. 這輛汽車不值得修理。
  2. What is worth doing is worth doing well. 凡值得做的事情就值得把它做好。
  3. You’re not worth helping. 你不值得幫助。
  4. He’s worth listening to. 他說話值得一聽。

這種句型有時可以用 it is worth doing來代替:

  1. The car isn’t worth repairing. (It isn’t worth repairing the car.) 這輛汽車不值得修理(修理這輛汽車是不值得的)。
  2. The cartons are worth saving. (It’s worth saving the cartons.) 硬紙盒值得保存。

(参見 worth用法1)

Worth 用法14(worth one’s while doing/to do):

問:(1) It would be worth your while to talk to the editor.
(2) It’s not worth your while staying.
從上面的例句能否得出結論說:worth one’s while既可接動名詞,又可接不定詞?

答:worth one’s while(或 worthwhile)與 worth不同,它不是介系詞,也不是形容詞,因而不要求受詞(或補語)。我們絕不要把 worth one’s while(worthwhile)跟 worth 用法混為一談。在你提出的兩個句子裡,to talk…和 staying並不是 worth your while的受詞(或補語),而是句子的實主詞(句首的it為虛主詞)。此外,在含有 worth one’s while的句子裡,還可用不定詞或動名詞作真實受詞:

  1. It would be well worth your while to come to the meeting. 你去參加此次會議,是很值得的。
  2. You would find it well worth your while to come to the meeting. 你要是參加會議,你會認為是很值得的。
  3. It’s not worth your while reading this book, because it isn’t accurate. 這本書不值得你去讀,因為它不準確。
  4. You will find it worth your while to read the book. 你會發現這本書是很值得一讀的。

小練習:請選出正確的答案。
How do you think of the play?” “I believe every person would find it worth ______ to see it.”
A. their while
B. her while
C. his while
D. your while(TOEFL)

worth 15 用法(more worth/worther(?)):

按照英語文法規則,形容詞real, right, wrong和worth沒有屈折變化形式realer, righter, wronger 和 worther,而只能通過加more和most的方法來構成比較級和最高級。如:

This inn is far more worth seeing. 這個旅店更加值得一看。

Worth 16 用法(three dollar’s worth/three dollars’ worth):

問:(1) Joe asked for fifty cent’s worth of chocolate candy.
(2) We put three dollar’s worth of gasoline in the tank.
請問 three dollar’s worth與 three dollars’ worth哪個用法是正確的?

答:可能有人認為,名詞作形容詞應取單數形式。但是,請記住,time和 worth之前的名詞形容詞,如具有複數意義,則應探用複數形式並加上所有格形式或’s,或者廣而言之,當用名詞的所有格作形容詞時,則具有複數意義的名詞應探用複數形式:

  1. They stole fifty thousand dollars’ worth of equipment. 他們偷了價值五萬美元的設備。
  2. They had got away with thousands of pounds’ worth of diamonds. 他們帶著價數千英鎊的鑽石逃之夭夭了。
  3. He needs a few days’ rest. 他需要休息幾天。

Worth用法17(worthy to do):

問:worthy 用作述語時,後面是不是總是跟介係詞of片語,而不能跟不定詞?

答:worthy用作述語時,除了跟介係詞of連用of,還可以跟不定詞連用。例如:

  1. She said she was not worthy to be my wife. 她說她不配做我妻子。
  2. You are not worthy to live in the same would with her. 你不配跟她生活在同一個世界上。
  3. He is worthy to have a place in the team. 他有資格成為隊(的一)員。

如果主詞是接受動作者(被動的),則應采用動詞不定詞的被動形式:

  1. They are not worthy to be chosen. 他們不配被選上/入選。
  2. It is worthy to be remembered. 這件事情值得記住。

喜歡此文章嗎?請Like一下我們的facebook專頁支持一下,這是我們繼續發表優質文章的最大原動力。謝謝。

發佈留言

發佈留言必須填寫的電子郵件地址不會公開。 必填欄位標示為 *