1) One may not interrupt the prayer by speaking, from when one says the blessing of “Baruch she’amar” until one has finished the “Shemoneh esrei”. Nevertheless, if the end of the period when one is allowed to say the Shema is arriving, and one is worried that one will not manage to say it in time, (and one forgot to say it before “Baruch she’amar”,) one may say it during the verses of praise. (Shulchan Aruch and Mishne Berurah 51)
2) Similarly, if one forgot to make the blessing on the Torah beforehand, one may say this blessing during the verses of praise, and one may even say the verses which one customarily says after the blessing on the Torah. This law applies since there are those who maintain that one may not say the verses of praise before the blessing on the Torah. (ibid)