géongum ond éaldum, swylc him gód 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,
béorht bḗacen Gódes brímu swáðredon. Beow. 570.
twélf wintra tī́d tórn 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 héarda Hígelāces þégn.Beow. 2977.
him þā Scýld gewā́t tō gescǽp-hwī́le.Beow. 26.
gewāt þā twélfa súm tórne gebólhen.Beow. 2401.