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In the following sentence, although a gerund would be preferred, is the usage of "to spend" correct?

"Do you really think it's worth it to spend hundreds of pounds on video games?"

Rik
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  • I have no idea why you think "a gerund would be preferred' after worth; both kinds of nonfinite complement are governed by worth. Gerunds are preferred for non-extraposed subject complements, but extraposition tends to apply to infinitive subject complements, for precisely this reason; it puts the infinitive at the end of the sentence, where it's easier to process than at the beginning. – John Lawler Sep 29 '15 at 19:40
  • I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because research (Googling "worth it to") turns up (as the first hit for me) this actual example: If you want to have a good time traveling, it's well worth it to spend time reading guidebooks before you go. {Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms} – Edwin Ashworth Sep 29 '15 at 22:17

1 Answers1

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Either your sentence or "Do you really think it's worth spending hundreds..." would be interchangeably correct. The decision toward one or the other would be based entirely on which tone was appropriate for the speaker...the gerund version is a bit less formal. Is your speaker more formal or less formal?

dwoz
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