Grammar

1.10 qualifiers

The use of qualifiers allows us great freedom in expanding the noun group. Qualifiers can be prepositional phrases, relative clauses, adverbs of place or time, or 'to'-infinitives.

...a girl in a dark grey dress.
...the man who employed me.
...the room upstairs.
...the desire to kill.

Adjectives and participles are also sometimes used as qualifiers, usually in combination with other words.

...the Minister responsible for national security.
...the three cards lying on the table.

See paragraphs 2.289 to 2.320 for more information about qualifiers.

1.11

In particular, prepositional phrases beginning with 'of' are very common, because they can express many different kinds of relationship between the two noun groups.

...strong feelings of jealousy.
...a picture of a house.
...the destruction of their city.
...the daughter of the village cobbler.
...problems of varying complexity.
...the arrival of the police.

For more information about the use of 'of' in the noun group see paragraphs 2.294 to 2.300.