3.12 Adjectives not allowing infinitive postmodifiers

Examples of errors:

(1) This shock might have been successful to open German hearts and wounds.
(2) Is it really worth to sacrifice a human life for such a trivial reason?
(3) It should be an interesting subject, one that is worth to think about.
(4) She should wait until she is sure to know his character before she marries him.

Adjectives can be postmodified by a prepositional phrase, a finite clause, or an infinitive clause. Happy, for example, is an adjective which accepts all three types of postmodifier:

John is happy about the job/that he got the job/to have the job

Not all adjectives allow all three types of modification, however. Successful (cf. (1)) doesn't allow an infinitive postmodifier. Sure referring to a mental attitude (cf. (3)) allows modification by of + -ing participle clauses but not by infinitives, e.g.:

She is sure of winning tomorrow.
= She is sure that she will win tomorrow.

When sure refers to "objective certainty", however, the infinitive is used:

She is sure to win tomorrow.
It is sure (i.e. certain) that she will win tomorrow.

Worth doesn't allow an infinitive modifier, although the expression be worth it can be followed by an infinitive. Compare with (2):

Is it really worth it to sacrifice a human life?

Otherwise, worth is followed by an participle clause (of. (3)).