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Part 2 Β· Episode 53 B1-B2

It’s Worth Trying

πŸ“ worth/busy/no point + -ing (fixed expressions)

Philosophers (Socrates, Descartes, Camus) Β· Ancient to Modern: Philosophers and value judgments πŸ“– 6 min read

Episode 53: It’s Worth Trying

worth/busy/no point + -ing β€” Philosophers, various eras (B1-B2)

Grammar Box

Meaning: Fixed expressions with worth, busy, and “no point/use/good” always take -ing to express value, occupation, or futility.

Form: be worth + -ing; be busy + -ing; there’s no point/use/good + -ing

Example 1: Philosophy is worth studying because it teaches us how to think.

Example 2: There’s no point arguing without listening to each other.

Common mistake: Wrong: It’s worth to try. Better: It’s worth trying.

The Challenge

Luna debated whether to take a philosophy class. Her friend said, “Is it worth to study?” That sounded wrong. “Worth studying”? Her advisor said, “There’s no point to take it if you won’t read.” Also wrong. “No point taking”? The watch glowed with ancient wisdom. Professor Wisdom appeared, surrounded by floating books. “Questions of worth,” he said, “are the most human questions we ask. What’s worth doing? What’s worth knowing? And the grammar? It always points to the action itself, never to the intention. Come. Let me show you thinkers who spent lifetimes asking ‘Is it worth it?'”

The Journey

Three philosophers. Three eras. One question: What’s worth the effort?

Athens, 399 BC. Socrates stood trial, accused of corrupting youth by asking too many questions. His students begged him to flee. Escape was possible. But Socrates refused. “There’s no point running from truth,” he told them. “I’ve spent my life busy questioning everything β€” power, knowledge, virtue. Is living without questioning worth living? I don’t think so.” The court sentenced him to death. As he drank the poison hemlock, his final words questioned even death itself. Was it worth dying for the right to question? Socrates thought so. His entire philosophy was built on “the unexamined life is not worth living.”

Paris, 1640s. RenΓ© Descartes sat alone, doubting everything. His method: reject anything that could possibly be false. Was knowledge worth seeking if most of it might be illusion? He was busy doubting β€” doubting his senses, his memories, even mathematics. Finally, he found something he couldn’t doubt: “I think, therefore I am.” The act of doubting proved he existed. After months of radical skepticism, he concluded: yes, knowledge is worth pursuing, but there’s no point accepting anything without proof.

Paris again, 1940s. Albert Camus sat in a cafΓ© during Nazi occupation, writing about absurdity. The universe has no meaning. Life has no inherent purpose. So is anything worth doing? His answer shocked his contemporaries: “There’s no point searching for cosmic meaning, but everything is worth doing anyway.” He wrote, “One must imagine Sisyphus happy” β€” the mythical figure condemned to push a boulder uphill forever. Why? Because being busy pushing, choosing to push, making the meaningless meaningful through action β€” that’s the human triumph.

Three philosophers. Different conclusions. But same grammar. “Worth + -ing” for value judgments. “Busy + -ing” for occupation. “No point + -ing” for futility. The -ing form focuses on the action itself, not the intention behind it. Not “worth to do” (future intention), but “worth doing” (the action’s inherent value). Philosophy doesn’t just ask what’s worth doing. It teaches us the grammar of meaning itself.

The Deep Dive

These fixed expressions always require -ing forms because they evaluate actions as activities or states, not as intentions or goals. “Worth” assesses value: “Is it worth doing?” focuses on the action’s merit. “Busy” describes occupation: “I’m busy working” shows ongoing engagement. “No point/use/good” expresses futility: “There’s no point trying” suggests the action lacks value.

We cannot use to-infinitive with these expressions. “Worth to do,” “busy to work,” “no point to try” are all incorrect. The reason is semantic: these expressions judge the activity itself, not a future intention. The -ing form (gerund) functions as a noun representing the action being evaluated.

Similar expressions follow this pattern: “It’s no use crying,” “It’s no good complaining,” “What’s the use of worrying?” All require -ing. In professional and academic English, mastering these fixed expressions marks sophisticated usage. They appear frequently in discussions of value, priority, and resource allocation.

More Examples

History: Churchill believed freedom was worth fighting for, and he spent his life busy defending democratic values against tyranny.

Science: Einstein said, “There’s no point doing the same experiment expecting different results” β€” defining insanity itself.

Everyday: This movie isn’t worth watching β€” the reviews are terrible and I’m already busy preparing for tomorrow’s meeting.

Formal: The committee concluded there’s no point investing further resources until the preliminary results are worth analyzing.

Informal: Is this restaurant worth trying? I’m not busy tonight, so we could check it out.

Contrast: “worth doing” (evaluates the action) vs “worth it to do” (informal, but technically less precise grammatically).

Practice & Reflection

Exercises:

  1. Fill in the blank: Socrates believed the unexamined life was not worth _, and he stayed busy _ every assumption. (live / question)

  2. Correct the mistake: There’s no point to argue with someone who won’t listen.

  3. Choose and explain: “This book __ carefully.”
    a) is worth reading
    b) is worth to read

  4. Rewrite: Use “busy”: “I’m occupied with preparing for the exam.” β†’ “__”

  5. Compare: “It’s worth the effort” versus “It’s worth trying” β€” which is more specific about the action?

  6. Your reflection: What’s something you believe is worth doing, even if it’s difficult? Write about it using these expressions.

Answer Key:

  1. living / questioning β€” both “worth” and “busy” require -ing form
  2. There’s no point arguing β€” “no point” takes -ing, not to-infinitive
  3. a) is worth reading β€” “worth” always takes -ing form
  4. I’m busy preparing for the exam β€” “busy” + -ing
  5. Second β€” “trying” specifies the action; “the effort” is more general
  6. Check: Did you use worth/busy/no point + -ing correctly?

The Lesson

Luna enrolled in the philosophy class. “It’s worth studying,” she decided. “Even if I’m busy with other things.” The watch faded. She thought about those philosophers β€” Socrates dying for questions, Descartes busy doubting, Camus finding meaning in meaninglessness. They didn’t ask “What’s worth it to do?” They asked “What’s worth doing?” The grammar is precise. The -ing form doesn’t promise completion or success. It just asks: Is the doing itself valuable? Sometimes, that’s the only question that matters. And the answer? Always in the doing.