= Word order
<Word order> concerns the linear arrangement of linguistic elements. A basic clause-order description commonly records the relative positions of the <subject (grammar)>, <verb> and <object (grammar)> in an ordinary declarative clause. Such a description summarizes one construction type; it does not specify every ordering permitted by a <language>.<Essentials of Linguistics (2nd edition) by Catherine Anderson and others>[§6.2, Variation across languages: order of Subject, Object, and Verb]{ref}
In the original example `Mira follows Noor`, the English subject-verb-object arrangement identifies who follows whom. `Noor follows Mira` uses the same words with the participants reversed. A toy subject-object-verb grammar could instead express the first relation as `Mira Noor follows`. Here ordering and the participants' <thematic roles> are separate analytical dimensions. Comparing ordinary clauses with questions or embedded clauses helps determine whether a proposed pattern generalizes. <Comparative syntax> investigates those relationships across <languages>.
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