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Be worth it?

Hale Chen

Senior Member
Chinese
Hello, everyone! I am not sure about the usage of this collocation "Be worth it."
Its background is like this: The heroine wants to learn cooking from her father, and her father agrees happily. But during the cooking, her father always nags her and resents how bad she acts. In the midst of the cooking, she really wants to give up, but then she thinks "either of the following three sentences I want to put here". So, she continues to cook and finally finishes it.

1.If I quit halfway, the grievance I suffered is in vain.
2.If I quit halfway, the grievance I suffered is not worthwhile.
3.If I quit halfway, the grievance I suffered is really not worth it.

Are they all OK? Thanks in advance.👁 Smile :)
Only the first one is plausible, but the present tense "is" does not fit the situation.

"Not worth it" could be used as an argument in favour of giving up:
I really want to learn cooking, but with the grief I am getting it really isn't worth it.​
Grievance should probably be something like aggravation. Grievance is more of a legalistic term.
Only the first one is plausible, but the present tense "is" does not fit the situation.

"Not worth it" could be used as an argument in favour of giving up:
I really want to learn cooking, but with the grief I am getting it really isn't worth it.​

Really thankful to you. In the sentence you give "I really want to learn cooking, but with the grief I am getting it really isn't worth it", what does it refer to?

If I change sentence 3 into this "If I quit halfway, it really is not worth it for the grievance I suffered," is this ok?

Looking forward to your reply. 👁 Smile :)
Really thankful to you. In the sentence you give "I really want to learn cooking, but with the grief I am getting it really isn't worth it", what does it refer to?
The first "it" is learning cooking and the second "it" is the grief I am getting.
If I change sentence 3 into this "If I quit halfway, it really is not worth it for the grievance I suffered," is this ok?
No. What do the two "it"s refer to? The subject of "to be" has to be the activity being undertaken or the goal that has been or will be achieved. The "it" after "worth" has to be the hardship or difficulty encountered and, as with any other use of "it" needs to refer to something already mentioned or implied. Either "it" can be substituted with the thing it represents: "Learning to cook isn't worth the grief I've been getting". "Completing this course will have been worth all the hard work".
The first "it" is learning cooking and the second "it" is the grief I am getting.
No. What do the two "it"s refer to? The subject of "to be" has to be the activity being undertaken or the goal that has been or will be achieved. The "it" after "worth" has to be the hardship or difficulty encountered and, as with any other use of "it" needs to refer to something already mentioned or implied. Either "it" can be substituted with the thing it represents: "Learning to cook isn't worth the grief I've been getting". "Completing this course will have been worth all the hard work".

It really does help. Many thanks. 👁 Smile :)
👁 Smile :)
👁 Smile :)
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