Is it worth

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jokaec1

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The tuition of this college is 500 dollar per credit.
1) Is it worth?
2) Is it worth it?
3) Is it worth this money?
Are they all correct? If so, which one is more common?
 

Olympian

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The tuition [STRIKE]of[/STRIKE] at this college is 500 dollars per credit.
1) Is it worth?
2) Is it worth it?
3) Is it worth this money?
Are they all correct? If so, which one is more common?

**** I am not a teacher ****


#1 looks somewhat incomplete.
#2 looks OK to me.
For #3, I would have used "Is it worth the money?". But I don't know if "worth this money" is necessarily wrong.
 
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Skrej

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#1 is ungrammatical.

#2 is correct

#3 is grammatical, but you'd be more likely to see "Is it worth this much money?", or as Olympian suggested, "Is it worth the money?".

Matthew's suggestion to replace 'money' with 'amount' is also acceptable.
 

Olympian

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After reading, skrej's response, I would like to change my answer. ;-)
I did not think about it before, but what he wrote ("Is it worth this much money?") sounds more natural and descriptive.
 

Eckaslike

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I agree with Skrej about which ones work and also his suggestions.

However, Olympian, my first natural response to number three was to suggest, "Is it worth the money?" instead. Perhaps this phrase is more commonly used in BrE.
 

Olympian

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I agree with Skrej about which ones work and also his suggestions.

However, Olympian, my first natural response to number three was to suggest, "Is it worth the money?" instead. Perhaps this phrase is more commonly used in BrE.

Eckaslike, perhaps that is why I thought of "Is it worth the money?" (ie commonly used in BrE).

I don't know if I am right, but I perceive a slight difference between "Is it worth the money?" (the money they are charging for this course) and "Is it worth this much money?" (I find this amount to be quite high/expensive). I mean the 'is it worth' part is the same in both, but 'this much money' adds some more information (that I consider it to be very high).
 
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Eckaslike

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"Eckaslike, perhaps that is why I thought of "Is it worth the money?" (i.e. commonly used in BrE)."

Yes, I believe that is why your original instinct was to naturally think it.

To me, the meanings are often as you have said:

"Is it worth the [amount of] money?". The word "amount" is only inferred. But, to me, it already has that meaning locked into this sentence.

"Is it worth this much money?". Seems a much more specific, direct question.


I think part of the issue here is that, we very often hear a similar form of sentence used as an expression of disbelief:

"Is it [really] worth that much money!", meaning you think the amount paid was ludicrous. The person was "fleeced"! (colloquial usage.) :shock:
 

mawes12

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I think for #1, you can put "What is it worth?" or "How much is it worth?" Or "How much money is it worth?".

Not a teacher.
 

tedmc

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I think for #1, you can put "What is it worth?" or "How much is it worth?" Or "How much money is it worth?".

Not a teacher.

That would carry a different meaning. It would be asking for a numerical value in terms of dollars. OP's question is more like asking whether something is worth the price paid, which expects a 'yes" or 'no' answer.
 

Matthew Wai

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I think mawes12 meant to explain the correct usage of 'is it worth?' rather than to make other suggestions about the OP's question, but I am not a teacher.
 
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