Page 528 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

sentence structure (1): basic word order 509
509 sentence structure (1): basic word order
1 subject - verb - object/complement
In an affirmative sentence, the subject normally comes before the verb; objects or complements come after the verb.
Ann smiled. My father likes dogs. Eric is a doctor.
In a few affirmative structures the verb can come before the subject (e.g. So can I, In came Mrs Parker). See 302-303. For sentences that begin with the object (e.g. Those people I can't stand), see 513.
2 preparatory it and there
When the subject or object is an infinitive phrase or clause, we often put it at the end of a sentence, and use it as a preparatory subject or object (see 446- 447).
It's difficult to understand what he wants.
She made it clear that she disagreed.
There can be a preparatory subject for an indefinite expression (see 587).
There is a big spider in the bath.
3 direct and indirect objects
Indirect objects can come before direct objects (without a preposition) or after direct objects (with a preposition).
She sent the nurse some flowers. She sent some flowers to the nurse.
For details, see 610.
4 questions: auxiliary before subject
Questions normally have the order auxiliary verb - subject - main verb.
Have you seen Andrew? Where was she going? Did Mary phone?
Indirect questions (see 276) have the subject before the verb. Do you know where she was going?
5 negatives: auxiliary + n o t
Negative structures have not after an auxiliary verb. The train did not stop. (NOT The tt'ttilt 8ttJt1fJetlI16t.)
For word order in negative questions (e.g. Why didn't she come? I Why did she not comer), see 368.
6 adjectives before nouns
When adjectives are together with nouns, they usually come before them.
an interesting book difficult questions
For the order of adjectives, see 15. For exceptions and special cases, see J3.
7 adverbs: possible positions
Different adverbs can go in different places in a sentence: at the beginning, with the verb, or at the end. For details, see 21-25.
Suddenly I had a terrible thought.
The children had probably gone home. I was playing badly. An adverb cannot normally come between a verb and its object.
lliloo mushrooms very much. (NOT I like !Iety mtteh mmllF66f1ta.) page 496