Edith,
     Can you give me the references to the research you referred to on
sentence combining? O'Hare, whose study was most influential in
promoting it, abandoned it and wrote a very traditional grammar text.
Strong, to my knowledge, wrote texts that use it, but he never provided
research to support it. All the studies that I remember seeing showed
that the effects of "pure" combining exercises disappeared within two
years.  Perhaps I should note that I am not arguing against all
combining exercises. In fact, I suggest using them --at the right levels
of natural development, and when used as part of instruction. for
example, students who are studying clauses can justifiably be given
combining exercises in which a main clause is made subordinate. On the
other hand, combining exercises which require sixth graders to reduce a
main clause to an appositive are harmful.
Ed V.

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