Originally Posted by
VFR-Seek and Destroy
But to muddy the waters
I agree that the order of the elements of the message is not always consistent or logical. In a "cleared to land" message, there's only few elements so who cares, but in a "departure clearance" message, it still amazes me that the order is NOT chronological. I think the official phrase would be "G-XX Mike departure 1000 feet, wind 250 at 8, cleared take-off 24", while a more chronological order would be "cleared take-off 24, Mike departure 1000 feet, wind 250 at 8".
I don't know if it's correct or not, but I try to visualise the whole departure and then read it back in chronological order. "Cleared take-off 24 with a Mike departure 1000 feet, G-XX". Works for me.