常見錯誤:How Much Is This “Worth”? 💰
這次我想談一談自己經常在香港看到/聽到一個有關形容詞「worth」的普遍錯誤。*
以下是比較典型的例子:
It worths the price. ❌
(預期意思:這很值得這個價格)
It doesn’t worth the price. ❌
(預期意思:這不值得這個價格)
這些範例中,講者/作者錯誤地將「worth」當作動詞來使用,以表達「值得/價值」的意思。但其實,「worth」是一個形容詞。
講者/作者把「worth」用作這些子句中的限定動詞,包括添加字尾「s」去呼應第三身人稱的單數主語「it」,和加入額外的輔助動詞「does」(同樣在呼應「it」)作為否定字形。
這些都是錯誤的,因為「worth」實際上並非動詞,而是個形容詞。
正確使用形容詞「worth」去表達這些意思的方法如下:
It is worth the price. ✅
(這很值得這個價格)
It isn’t (is not) worth the price. ✅
(這不值得這個價格)
我們可從這些正確例子中,看到形容詞「worth」出現在限定動詞「is」(「be」的其中一種字形)之後,作為謂語形容詞去修飾主語「it」。
由此可見,「worth」與其他形容詞無異。
但這形容詞之所以在結構上讓人感些有些「突兀」,是因為它會直接連接名詞組:
It is worth the price. ✅
(這很值得這個價格)
一般而言,形容詞是不會直接連接名詞組的。例如:
It is red.
It is expensive.
即使我們想添加更多修飾語去進一步修飾一個形容詞,那些修飾語也會以修飾語組的形式出現。例如:
It is red in color.
It is expensive compared to other models.
第一個例句中,形容詞「red」被介詞組「in color」進一步修飾;第二個例句中,形容詞「expensive」被 participle 詞組「compared to other models」進一步修飾。
所以「worth」會直接連上名詞組,這確實是有些奇特的。
It is worth the price. ✅
(這很值得這個價格)
此例子中,名詞組「the price」直接跟在形容詞「worth」後面,以表達「值得這個價格」的意思。當我們要使用這形容詞來表達「值得」,便須要放一個名詞組在它後面以顯示所值得付出的是什麼。請看以下其他例子:
This project is not worth my time. ✅
這個項目不值我的時間
作為形容詞,「worth」還能夠表達一個更直接的含義 –「價值」。當我們要用它來表達這意思,後面的名詞組便會是那「所值的金額」:
This car is worth $1 million. ✅
這輛車值一百萬美元
Their house will be worth a lot more money in the future. ✅
他們的房子未來會值很多錢。
形容詞「worth」會直接連接名詞組的結構特徵,導致許多人都把當成動詞,因為通常只有動詞才會在後面連名詞組作為直接賓語,像是:
I paid a lot of money.
I entered my name.
所以大家很容易就假定了「worth」是個動詞,並錯誤地以動詞的方式來使用它。我一開始也說了,在「worth」後面加入各種限定動詞字尾,將它用作子句中的限定動詞,這是個很普遍的錯誤。例如:
The car worths… ❌
Their house worthed… ❌
This limited edition toy will worth… ❌
「Worth」是形容詞,不是動詞,它永不可能轉變成任何限定動詞或非限定動詞字形,所以無論是「worths」「worthed」「worthing」「to worth」等都是錯誤的。
如有興趣了解更多關於形容詞「worth」會連接名詞組的原因,可參閱備註中的解釋。**
就正確用法而言,你只須記住「worth」是一個會連接名詞組的形容詞,並經常用作「be」的字形後面的謂語形容詞,例如:
The car is worth $1 million.
The car was worth $1 million.
The car will be worth $1 million.
The car had once been worth $1 million.
I want the car to be worth $1 million.
諸如此類。
但它也可以作爲名詞組中的定語(attributive)形容詞,例如:
He is the guy with the car worth $1 million.
他是那個擁有價值一百萬美元的車子的人
當它位於名詞組中,它會出現在所修飾的核心名詞之後,像這裡的「car」。而在它後面的名詞組則不會變,就如這裡的「$1 million」。
大家記得以後也不要錯誤地把「worth」當動詞使用了!
________________
小練習:
請改正以下句子中的錯誤。
I believe my time worths more!
我相信我的時間價值更多!
It didn’t worth it.
這是不值得的
______________
答案:
I believe my time is worth more!
It wasn’t worth it.
______________
備註:
*
「Worth」本身也有一個名詞的版本,意思是「價值」或「重要性」,例如:
I put a lot of worth on honesty.
(我非常重視誠實)
此例句中的「worth」是名詞。以動詞「put」、直接賓語「worth」,以及特定修飾語「on something」組合而成的表達方式「put worth on something」,意指「重視某東西」。
而我在這篇通訊中討論的「worth」是其形容詞的版本,會直接連接名詞,例如:
This car is worth $1 million.
(這輛車值一百萬元)
**
英文在以往演變歷史中曾經,於句子中扮演不同文法角色的名詞組,會有不同的標記去展示它們的角色。
我當然不會在此詳細討論了,但當中有一個名詞標記,會顯示了我們在現代英文中意思類似「of something」或「belonging to something」(屬於某物)的文法角色。
例如,當名詞組「X」有這標記時,意思就是「of X」或「belonging to X」(屬於X)。
形容詞「worth」曾經需要靠帶有這特定標記的名詞組來完成類似「屬於X的價值」的意思。
然而,隨著英文文法的自然發展,所有名詞標記都消失了。現在無論名詞組在句子中扮演什麼角色,它們看起來也都一樣。
因此,現在的形容詞「worth」也只會連接一個普通的名詞組。
許多本來要配合帶有這標記的名詞組的單字,現在都變成了用意思相近的介詞組去完成,例如「of something」。但基於某些原因,即使在現代英文中,「worth」還是維持了直接連接名詞組的特徵。
_______________________
Common Mistake: How Much Is This “Worth”? 💰
In this newsletter, I want to talk about a common mistake that I see and hear a lot in Hong Kong regarding the adjective “worth.”*
A typical example of this common mistake would be something like this:
It worths the price. ❌
(Intended meaning: 這很值得這個價格)
It doesn’t worth the price. ❌
(Intended meaning: 這不值得這個價格)
In these wrong examples, the speaker/writer mistakenly used the word “worth” as a verb to express the meaning of "值得/價值” – when it is actually an adjective.
Specifically, the speaker/writer used “worth” as the finite verb in these clauses, respectively adding the ending “-s” to it to agree with the third-person singular subject “it,” and adding the extra auxiliary “does” (again agreeing with “it”) as the negative form.
This is wrong because the word “worth” is not actually a verb but rather an adjective.
The correct way of using the adjective “worth” to express these meanings is:
It is worth the price. ✅
(這很值得這個價格)
It isn’t (is not) worth the price. ✅
(這不值得這個價格)
From these correct examples, we can see that the adjective “worth” comes after the finite verb “is” – that is, a form of “be” – as a predicate adjective to modify the subject “it.”
In this regard, the adjective “worth” is the same as any other adjective.
However, what makes this particular adjective slightly “odd” in structural characteristics is that it is directly followed by a noun phrase:
It is worth the price. ✅
(這很值得這個價格)
Normally, adjectives would not be followed directly by noun phrases. For example:
It is red.
It is expensive.
Even when we want to add more modifiers to further modify an adjective, those modifiers would be in the form of, well, other modifier phrases. For example:
It is red in color.
It is expensive compared to other models.
In the first example, the adjective “red” is further modified by the prepositional phrase “in color,” whereas, in the second example, the adjective “expensive” is further modified by the participle phrase “compared to other models.”
As such, what makes “worth” slightly odd is that it is followed directly by a noun phrase:
It is worth the price. ✅
(這很值得這個價格)
In this example, the noun phrase “the price” directly follows the adjective “worth” to express the meaning of “值得這個價格.” When we use this adjective to express 值得, we need a noun phrase right after it as the “effort” or “amount” that is 值得. Here are two more examples:
This project is not worth my time. ✅
這個項目不值我的時間
“Worth” as an adjective can also express the more straightforward meaning of “價值.” When we use it to express this meaning, the noun phrase right after it would be the “amount that is worth”:
This car is worth $1 million. ✅
這輛車值一百萬美元
Their house will be worth a lot more money in the future. ✅
他們的房子未來會值很多錢。
The reason why so many people mistake the adjective “worth” as a verb is precisely because of its structural anomaly of having a noun phrase right after it. Normally, only verbs would have noun phrases right after them like this, as their direct object, like:
I paid a lot of money.
I entered my name.
Because of this, it is easy to assume also that “worth” is a verb and mistakenly use it as such to express meaning. It is a common mistake, like I mentioned at the start, to use “worth” as the finite verb of a clause by adding different finite verb endings to it, like:
The car worths… ❌
Their house worthed… ❌
This limited edition toy will worth… ❌
“Worth” is an adjective, not a verb, so it would never be turned into any finite or non-finite verb forms – whether it is “worths,” “worthed, “worthing,” “to worth” etc.
If you are interested in why the adjective “worth” is so odd in terms of having a noun phrase after it, you can read this explanation in the notes below**.
Otherwise, in terms of correct usage, just remember that “worth” is an adjective with a noun phrase after it. It is most often used as a predicate adjective after a form of “be,” like:
The car is worth $1 million.
The car was worth $1 million.
The car will be worth $1 million.
The car had once been worth $1 million.
I want the car to be worth $1 million.
Etc.
But it can also be an attributive adjective within a noun phrase, for example:
He is the guy who has the car worth $1 million.
他是那個擁有價值一百萬美元的車子的人
When it is in a noun phrase, it would come after the core noun it is modifying, like “car” here. The noun phrase after it, like “$1 million” in this example, would remain unchanged.
Try not to make the mistake of using “worth” as a verb ever again!
________________
Mini Exercise:
Identify the mistakes in the following sentences and correct them.
I believe my time worths more than this!
我相信我的時間價值更多!
It didn’t worth it.
這是不值得的
______________
Answers:
I believe my time is worth more than this!
It wasn’t worth it.
______________
Notes:
*
The word “worth” also has a noun version which means 價值 or 重要性, for example:
I put a lot of worth on honesty. (我非常重視誠實)
The “worth” in this example is a noun. The expression “put worth on something,” with the verb “put,” the direct object “worth,” and the specific modifier “on something,” means 重視某東西.
In this newsletter, I was discussing the adjective version of the word “worth,” which is used with a noun directly after it, like:
This car is worth $1 million. (這輛車值一百萬元)
**
In older forms of English, the noun phrases playing different grammatical roles in a sentence had different markings to indicate their roles.
We wouldn’t go into details here, obviously, but one of these noun markings indicated the grammatical role of what we can think of in modern English as similar in meaning to “of something” or “belonging to something.”
As in, when a noun phrase “X” had this marking, it would mean “of X,” or “belonging to X.”
The adjective “worth” used to be completed by a noun phrase with this particular marking, making the meaning, in effect, something like “worth” “of X.”
Throughout the development of English grammar, however, all noun markings disappeared. All noun phrases look the same now regardless of what roles they play in a sentence.
So, now, the adjective “worth” is just followed by a normal noun phrase.
A lot of words like this that took on noun phrases with this marking actually changed in modern English to take on prepositional phrases with similar meanings, like “of something,” but, for some reason, “worth” is just followed directly by a noun phrase even in modern English.
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