Hi, Clive: Yes, I know, but I thought I'd keep it the same way the writer presented it to me. It is an ugly sentence; that's for sure! I would replace the semicolon with a comma. Very few people seem to grasp when a semicolon can be used,

It should be used sparingly for stylistic purposes , that is, to introduce an emphatic, short sentence. Parenthetical elements of a sentence can be removed with the essential meaning of the sentence remaining. Appositives are always deemed as

;an external conflict between Trujillo and society= is this an ellipse clause? Now you have answered the question. Does this series of words contain a verb? No, they do not. Therefore, it cannot be a clause and must be a phrase. The head word of