that watching the proverbial paint dry would be a welcome improvement 
(ROOT (SBAR (IN that) (S (S (VP (VBG watching) (S (NP (DT the) (JJ proverbial) (NN paint)) (VP (NN dry))))) (VP (MD would) (VP (VB be) (NP (DT a) (JJ welcome) (NN improvement)))))))
(ROOT (SBAR (IN ) (S (S (VP (VBG ) (S (NP (DT ) (JJ ) (NN )) (VP (NN ))))) (VP (MD ) (VP (VB ) (NP (DT ) (JJ ) (NN )))))))