Using Worth

If you’ve never been to NYC, you should come. It is certainly worth the trip. With so much to see and do here, the experience is certainly worth the expense. Just be careful of the street vendors. Many of them sell designer brand goods, but they are generally fake, and not worth the $10 price!

Today, let’s look at the adjective worth and see how we can use this in English conversation.

We use worth + value, worth + amount to show the value of something.

• This pen is worth $5.
• The antique desk is worth $300, but I bought it for $150.
• Eating healthy and exercising is worth the effort.
• It’s worth visiting New York city.

In a negative sentence, use not worth:

• That movie was boring. It is not worth seeing.
• The Modern Museum is nice, but I think it is not worth $25.

In a question, we ask, how much or what is [something] worth, when we want to know the value of something.

• That car looks expensive. How much is it worth.
• Jack said he found his grandma’s old wedding ring. I wonder what it is worth.

You can use amount + worth to talk about the quantity of something in it’s value.

• We bought $50 worth of caviar for the party.
• Joe has $1,000 worth of carp in his garden pond.

When we talk about an activity, we use worth + VerbING

• The amusement park is great. It’s worth going there.
• If you are not sure what to do, it’s worth getting some professional advise.

It’s also possible to use It’s worth it (or) It’s not worth it to talk about doing something.

• Going to the MET Museum? Yes, It’s worth it.
• You can skip his new movie. It’s not worth it.