Ah, yes, but there are VSO and SOV languages so, in a quantuum reality, allowing for a OVS seems reasonable.
Well, German is generally a SVO language and still allows OVS, as a special means of emphasis. (But then German still expresses case endings, so that there's a hint in the nouns themselves, not only in their sentence position, whether they function as object [direct/accusative, or indirect/dative] or as subject [nominative].)
You're free to use OVS in English. Try to write a story that way. Should be fun. Wonder how long it takes a reader to get into the groove.
But, look at this phrase, please, and explain what's going on:
"Their being human..."
Gerundification. A verb can - in its -ing-form - function like a noun. It's possible in degrees:
1. verb: regular participle: I am painting.
2. verbal: participle in a participle phrase: "painting a portrait" (direct object), "painting slowly" (modification with adverb)
3. verbal + nominal: my painting the portait (direct object + possessive pronoun), my painting slowly (modification with adverb + possessive pronoun)
4. nominal: my painting of the portrait (possessive pronoun, postmodification with "of"); the painting of the portrait (article, postmod with "of"), the slow painting of the portrait (article, modification with adjective, postmod with "of")...
5. noun: paintings (plural)
(Btw, some linguists I can't remember have documented 13 steps.
)
In "their being human" "to be" is halfway between noun and verb. English allows that sort of thing. Wordclasses aren't as nailed down as in other languages.
