GRAMMAR Adjective Clauses Descriptive Phrases Kids and …

GRAMMAR Adjective Clauses Descriptive Phrases

CONTEXT Kids and the Media E-mail and Instant Messages The Creator of the World Wide Web Parents Taking Control of the Media

LESSON FOCUS

An adjective clause is a clause that describes a noun. Did you see the movie that was on TV last night? I have a friend who doesn't own a TV.

Descriptive phrases can also describe a noun. The children watching TV should go to bed. Many programs shown on TV are not good for children.

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Before You Read 1. Do you watch a lot of TV?

2. Did you watch a lot of TV when you were a child? Did your parents let you choose your own programs?

3. Do you think that some TV shows are bad for children?

Read the following article and facts in the box. Pay special attention to adjective clauses.

Facts About Kids and TV

Children who watch four or more hours of TV a day spend less time on schoolwork and have poorer reading skills. Kids can see about five violent acts per hour during prime time1 and 26 violent acts per hour during Saturday morning children's programs. Kids who watch large amounts of violence are more likely to use aggression to solve problems. Kids see about 20,000 TV commercials a year. More than 9 out of 10 food ads on Saturday morning TV are for unhealthy foods, such as candy and fast food. Children who watch four or more hours of TV a day are more likely to believe advertising claims than children who watch less TV.

Kids and the Media2

Before families had TV, most of the information children got was from their parents, teachers, and books. But when TV entered American homes in the 1950s, it brought a large variety of information, ideas, and images that previous generations of children didn't have. As more mothersentered the workforce, parents controlledfewer and fewer of the programs that their children watched.

Today the typical American child spends an average of 5!/2 hours using some form of media (TV, music, computers, printed material). The average household has 3 TVs, 2 VCRs, 3 radios, 3 tape players, 2 CD players, a video game system, and a computer. A large percentage of children's time is spent watching TV alone or with other kids. In fact, 65 percent of kids over eight have a TV in their bedroom. And parents of children under eight watchTV

1 Prime time means the evening hours, generally between 7 and 11 p.m., when the television audience is the largest. 2 The statistics in this reading come from the Kaiser Family Foundation report Kids and Media @ The New MiUenium (1999) and the Center for Media Education.

220 Lesson Six

with their kids just 50 percent of the time. Only half of American kids live in households that have rules about media use. Mealtime used to be a time wheu families could get together to discuss their daily lives. Now fifty-eight per cent of kids live in homes where the TV is on during meals. Forty percent of kids say the TV is on even when no one is watching.

It is clear that parents need to pay more attention to the programs their kids watch. They need to set a time limit for using media and help kids make smart TVchoices. Above all, they need to model responsible behavior themselves.

Adjective Clauses--Overview

An adjective clause is a group of words that describes the noun before it.

Examples

Explanation

Children who watch a lot of TV have no time for homework.

A woman whom I met doesn't allow her kids to watch TV on Saturdays.

The average child lives in a household that has three TV sets.

Programs which show violent behavior affect kids.

Children whose parents are at work often choose their own TV programs.

Mealtime is a time when families can discuss their lives.

Many kids live in homes where the TV is on all the time.

The information children get from TV is not always good for them.

Parents should pay attention to the programs their children watch.

Use who for people. Use whom for people.

Use that for people or things.

Use which for things. Use whose for possession.

Use when for time. Use where for place. Whom, that, or which can be omitted from some adjective clauses.

Adjective Clauses; Descriptive Phrases 221

EXERCISE 1 Tell if you agree or disagree with each statement. You may discuss your answers.

EXAMPLE: Children who watch a lot of TVcan learn a lot about the world.

1. Children who don't watch a lot of TV are more creative than children who watch a lot of TV.

2. Parents should choose the programs their children watch. 3. Parents who watch a lot of TVgive a bad example to their children. 4. Parents should ask their kids about the programs they watch. 5. Parents should watch TV with their kids. 6. Children who see violence on TV will become violent. 7. Kids are influenced by the ads for food and candy that they see on

TV. 8. Children whose parents read to them when they're small will become

good readers. 9. Parents shouldn't let kids watch TV during mealtime. 10. Parents should limit the number of hours that their child watchesTV. 11. It is not good for children to spend too much time at the computer. 12. Kids are happy with the limitations their parents give them.

EXERCISE 2 Underline the adjective clauses in Exercise 1. Not every sentence has an adjective clause.

Relative Pronoun as Subject

Children shouldn't see programs. The programs have violence.

Children shouldn't see programs

have violence.

(continued)

222 Lesson Six

Children Children

Children

don't get enough exercise. watch TV all day.

watch TV all day don't get enough exercise.

LANGUAGE NOTES

1. The adjective clause can describe any noun in the sentence. Programs that contain violence are not good for children. (Adjective clause describes subject.) I don't like programs that contain violence. (Adjective clause describes object.)

2. Remember, who and that are for people; that and which are for things. (Which is less common than that.}

3. A present-tense verb in the adjective clause must agree in number with the noun it describes. Children who watch TV all day don't get enough exercise. A child who watches TV all day doesn't get enough exercise.

EXERCISE 3

EXAMPLE:

Each subject below contains an adjective clause. Complete the statement.

People who have children **ve a lot of

1. Mothers who work 2. Children who are home alone after school 3. A child who has a TV in his or her room _ 4. Parents who set a good example for their children 5. Children who have a lot of toys 6. Children who watch TV all day 7. TV shows that have a lot of violence 8. Commercials that interrupt a program 9. Families that have small children 10. People who have cable TV

Adjective Clauses; Descriptive Phrases 223

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