=Nouns=, including adjectives and the infinitives and participles of verbs, have the strongest accent of all words in the sentence. A noun therefore takes precedence over the other parts of speech among which it occurs and has the alliteration, as _nḗ in þā =c=éastre be=c=úman méahte._ An. 931. _híre þā =Á=dam =a=ndswárode._ Gen. 827. If two nouns occur in the same hemistich it is always the first which alliterates, _=h=ū̀sa sḗlest. Wæs sēo =h=wī́l micel._ Beow. 146. _=l=ánge hwī́le. Him wæs =l=ī́ffrḗa._ Beow. 16. _=g=éongum ond éaldum, swylc him =g=ód séalde._ Beow. 72. The only exceptions are when a special rhetorical emphasis is given to the second word. When a noun and two adjectives or two nouns and an adjective occur in the same hemistich, one of these is always subordinated to the other, and the two together are treated as a combination. In such cases, where there is double alliteration in the hemistich, the position of the alliterating words may be either _a a x_, or _a x a_, the subordinate element (_x_) standing either in the last or the second place in the hemistich, _=b=éorht =b=ḗacen Gódes =b=rímu swáðredon._ Beow. 570. _=t=wélf wintra tī́d =t=órn geþólode._ Beow. 147. In the case of single alliteration, it is always the first of the nouns or adjectives which alliterates. =The verb= (excluding the infinitive and participles) is usually less strongly accented than the noun. It may therefore precede or follow the noun or adjective without alliteration, either in the arsis or thesis, as _lḗt se =h=éarda =H=ígelāces þégn._ Beow. 2977. _him þā =Sc=ýld gewā́t tō ge=sc=ǽp-hwī́le._ Beow. 26. _gewāt þā =t=wélfa súm =t=órne gebólhen._ Beow. 2401. On the other hand, when a hemistich consists only of one noun and one verb, the verb may alliterate, as _=g=ṓdne ge=g=ýrwan cwæð hē =g=ū̀ð-cýning._ Beow. 199. _=h=wḗtton =h=ígerōfne =h=ǣ́l scḗawedon._ Beow. 204. When a substantive and an adjective are closely combined, a verb in the same hemistich may alliterate, as _=b=ýreð =b=lṓdig wæl, =b=ýrgean þénceð._ Beow. 448. _=s=éofon niht =s=wúncon; hē þē æt =s=únde oferflā́t._ Beow. 517. In formulas consisting of noun+verb the noun predominates over the verb and takes the alliteration, as _=w=érodes =w=ī́sa =w=órdhord onlḗac._ Beow. 259. But if the verb is emphatic it may alliterate though there is a noun in the same hemistich; this occurs chiefly in the second hemistich, as _ond be =h=éalse genám; =h=rúron him tḗaras._ Beow. 1872. _=g=rýrelī̀cne =g=íst. =G=ýrede hine Beowulf._ ib. 1441, but a few instances are found in the first hemistich, as _ge=m=únde þā se =g=ṓda =m=ǣ́g Hígelā́ces._ Beow. 758.