"Nothing else on earth is worth being preoccupied with" [closed]

Solution 1:

The construction sounds natural in That's not worth fighting over/about/for.

My only observation about fev's example is that being preoccupied with something happens quite often and the example seems to be inflating its seriousness. Perhaps for that reason it sounds odd. The final preposition isn't a problem. Nothing on earth is worth worrying yourself sick over could rise to the occasion.

CGEL covers worth, worthwhile and for under 6. Hollow non-finite clauses. After an explanation of their general properties (6.1) comes:

6.2 Gerund-participles

These are licensed as complement to the adjectives worth and worthwhile and to the preposition for with a purpose sense:

Your idea is certainly worth giving some further thought to

The plan is so unpopular that it wouldn't be worthwhile our pursing

This knife isn't very good for cutting meat with

Recall (from §3.2.3) that the superficially similar construction governed by such verbs as need is a concealed passive not a hollow active, as evident from the possibility of having a by phrase: The proposal needs [ ___ evaluating by a specialist]. This missing element here, therefore, is subject, not object.^*

The three examples given above are analyzed by showing the missing object:

Your idea is certainly worth [giving some further thought to ___ ]

The plan is so unpopular that it wouldn't be worthwhile [our pursuing ___ ]

This knife isn't very good for [cutting meat with ___ ]

Author's footnote:

^*Bear occurs with a very limited range of gerund participles, as in the familiar phrase It doesn't bear thinking about; the complement here is probably a hollow clause rather than a concealed passive.