What this means is that position following the Thing is reversed for those items which, in their own structure, are of a rank higher than or at least equivalent to that of the nominal group; on these grounds, therefore, they would not be expected to be constituents of a nominal group. Such constituents are said to be ʻembeddedʼ, or, in earlier systemic terms ʻrankshiftedʼ [...] Like the other, ʻrankingʼ (i.e. non-embedded) elements of the nominal group, the Qualifier also has the function of characterizing the Thing; and again the Deictic 'the' serves to signal that the characteristic in question is defining.
- Halliday (1985), Pag. 166-167