Here's why:
* "Worth" is an adjective: It describes something as valuable or deserving of a particular action.
* Gerunds act as nouns: They represent the action itself.
* Infinitives express purpose or potential: They are used to describe the intended action or possibility.
Correct Usage:
* "Worth reading" - Here, "reading" is a gerund, acting as the noun object of the adjective "worth." It means the book/article is valuable for the act of reading.
* "Worthy of being read" - This emphasizes the value or quality of the item making it worth reading.
Incorrect Usage:
* "Worth to read" - This is grammatically incorrect because "to read" is an infinitive, expressing potential action, not the action itself.
In summary: "Worth" functions as an adjective and requires a gerund (verb ending in -ing) to describe the action it deems valuable.