Noun phrases

Postmodification

We can make a sentence more complex by putting more information into it. Here are four simple sentences:

• This painting represents women. (noun)
• The women are ancestral. (adjective)
• The women are of this particular tribe. (preposition phrase)
• The women are sitting in the shade of a tree. (participle clause)

All this information can be contained in one sentence. For example:

This painting represents	ancestral	women	of this particular tribe	sitting in the shade of a tree.
	Adjective	Noun	Preposition phrase	Participle clause

We cannot change the order of these elements.

• This painting represents ancestral women sitting in the shade of a tree of this particular tribe.
• This painting represents women ancestral of this particular tribe sitting in the shade of a tree.