Can you tell me whether these three sentences are correct? Thank you.

[jiangyueming]

Can you tell me whether these three sentences are correct? Thank you.

I have a cousin. It't not surprising to find he watching TV at midnight; thus he abandoned study. If my mother had limited the hours he spent on TV, this tragedy would not happen.

 

[Barb_D]

No, I'm sorry. It makes little sense.

He abandoned his studies because he wanted to watch TV?
What does your mother have to do with your cousin?
Are you actually blaming his fondness for TV for a decision like dropping out of school?
What is the tragedy?

Maybe you mean something like this: I have a cousin who dropped out of school. You can find him watching TV at all hours, even midnight. If HIS mother had limited his access to TV, perhaps he would have paid more attention to his studies and he would still be in school.

 

[jiangyueming]

Thanks. What if I express in this way: I have a cousin, he was addicted to TV, thus, had little time to study. In the end, he dropped out of school. If his mother had limited the time he spent on TV, this tragedy would not happen.

Is that make sense? Thank you.

No, I'm sorry. It makes little sense.

He abandoned his studies because he wanted to watch TV?
What does your mother have to do with your cousin?
Are you actually blaming his fondness for TV for a decision like dropping out of school?
What is the tragedy?

Maybe you mean something like this: I have a cousin who dropped out of school. You can find him watching TV at all hours, even midnight. If HIS mother had limited his access to TV, perhaps he would have paid more attention to his studies and he would still be in school.

 

[emsr2d2]

Thanks. What if I express in this way: I have a cousin, he was addicted to TV, thus, had little time to study. In the end, he dropped out of school. If his mother had limited the time he spent on TV, this tragedy would not happen.

Is that make sense? Thank you.

It makes more sense but the word "tragedy" really is unnecessary. I'm sure many families are disappointed when a child drops out of school and it might be "a severe disappointment" or even approaching "a disaster" but it's not a tragedy.

 

[jiangyueming]

I see. Dropping out of school doesn't mean that it's a bad thing. Right? Like Steve Jobs.

It makes more sense but the word "tragedy" really is unnecessary. I'm sure many families are disappointed when a child drops out of school and it might be "a severe disappointment" or even approaching "a disaster" but it's not a tragedy.

 

[emsr2d2]

I see. Dropping out of school doesn't mean that it's a bad thing. Right? Like Steve Jobs.

Dropping out of school isn't always a bad thing for the student! It's normally more disappointing for the student's family. However, my main point was simply that "tragedy" was far too strong a word for it. If you look at the dictionary definition of "tragedy" I think you will agree with me.

 

[jiangyueming]

Thank you.

Dropping out of school isn't always a bad thing for the student! It's normally more disappointing for the student's family. However, my main point was simply that "tragedy" was far too strong a word for it. If you look at the dictionary definition of "tragedy" I think you will agree with me.

 

[Barb_D]

I have a cousin. He was addicted to TV, and thus, had little time to study. In the end, he dropped out of school. If his mother had limited the time he spent on TV, this unfortunate event might not have happened.

Does that make sense? Thank you.

Beware of the comma splice, which means you join two sentences with a comma. That is wrong. Common, but wrong.

I personally don't believe that people can have additions to television, and I don't believe you can blame his mother for this. Maybe he dropped out of school because he was a bad student and didn't enjoy studying very much. People have talents outside the world of academics.

 

[jiangyueming]

Yeah, I see. Here I need some examples to support the disadvantages of watching too much TV.

Thank you. :-D

Beware of the comma splice, which means you join two sentences with a comma. That is wrong. Common, but wrong.

I personally don't believe that people can have additions to television, and I don't believe you can blame his mother for this. Maybe he dropped out of school because he was a bad student and didn't enjoy studying very much. People have talents outside the world of academics.

 

[emsr2d2]

I personally don't believe that people can have addictions to television ...

Don't you? I think people can be addicted to absolutely anything. I certainly know a few people who would have serious withdrawal symptoms if you took away their television.

 

[Barb_D]

Well, I'd be very sad if I could never watch any of my favorite programs again, and I agree people might show signs of withdrawal, but (and I did say "personally") I don't think it reaches the level of addiction that you associate with alcohol or pain killers (as two examples). Or if it does, it's a very rare disorder, and not something that your mother could have prevented by telling you to watch less as a teen. Of course, I don't have a degree in psychology so I could be wrong.

I think the bigger disadvantages of too much TV are a lack of physical activity, a lack of interaction with real people, and a misguided sense of what real people look like.