Bruce,
     Thank you very much. I have run across this "worth" problem
several times in analyzing texts for the KISS site. If I remember
correctly, I have sometimes tried to make the case that "worth" is
comparable to "like" and thus could be considered both a predicate
adjective and a preposition. But I much prefer your explanation. Nouns
Used as Adverbs are already one of the frequently used tools in the KISS
Toolbox, so your explanation basically eliminates the problem.
A sincere thanks,
Ed

>>> [log in to unmask] 06/23/04 06:10PM >>>
Larry,

My sense is that the noun phrase that follows "worth" is an "adverbial
noun."
Such nouns are quite frequent in telling "how much" or "how many."
Sometimes
the verb "cost" is analyzed as though the noun that follows is a
direct
object.
This too would seem to me to be an adverbial noun telling the degree.

How much does the book cost?  The book costs a dollar.
How much is the book worth?   The book is worth a dollar.

The conclusion would be that the noun is a complement to the adjective
"worth"
and that the only appropriate noun to follow "worth" would be a unit
of
measure
or something that would translate into some sort of measure of value.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Similarly when we have "He weighs a ton" the noun phrase seems to
function as
an adverbial noun of degree, not a direct object.  Consider also "He
measures
six feet" an "He is six feet tall."  The measure of age usually
includes the
adjective "old," but doesn't seem always to need it, as "He is twenty
years
(old)."   In consideration of this structure as possibly more normal,
we could
make the observation that "worth" is unusual in that its adverbial
modifier
follows as a complement (without a connective).

I hope this doesn't raise more questions than it seeks to respond to.

Bruce


>>> [log in to unmask] 6/23/2004 11:35:12 AM >>>

How would you analyze 'worth' in a sentence such as "This book is
worth
a dollar"?

If 'is' is a linking verb and 'worth' is a predicate adjective, what
is
a noun doing afterward?

Dictionaries I've consulted indicate 'worth' is a noun or adjective. I
myself can't use 'worth' as a descriptive adjective that comes before
a
noun (the normal position of course for most single-word, non-verbal
adjectives).

I think this example is similar to the above: "This book, worth a mere
dollar, is yours if you want it."

I was thinking 'worth' might be preposition (which would explain a
noun
afterwards), but I doubt it.  My other guess is it is an old term (Old
English) that ls now an idiosyncratic adjective that requires a noun
to
complete the description.  Not a very satisfying answer, so I'm
wondering what others think.

Larry Beason

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