LONDON — When you're speaking in your first language, some things are so automatic that you don't even realise how damn complicated they really are.

Word ordering, for instance. On Saturday, Matthew Anderson took to Twitter to share the following screengrab from a book he'd been reading about the hidden complexities of the English language.

Things native English speakers know, but don't know we know: pic.twitter.com/Ex0Ui9oBSL — Matthew Anderson (@MattAndersonBBC) September 3, 2016

It's true, isn't it? While you might describe a pug as a "cute little grey dog", you probably wouldn't describe it as a "grey little cute dog". And you'd do that without even thinking about it.

As his tweet picked up steam, Anderson shared the source of this sweet wisdom.

@beet_the_system @MattAndersonBBC isn't it beautiful! I want to know too — Open Sourceress Em* (@emma_gras) September 3, 2016

@emma_gras @beet_the_system It's from The Elements if Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase by Mark Forsyth — Matthew Anderson (@MattAndersonBBC) September 3, 2016

Soon others were tucking into the book, too.

My gosh, this is a fun read. Thanks for the intro, @MattAndersonBBC. pic.twitter.com/ZPeRhPphIq — Merlin Mann (@hotdogsladies) September 4, 2016

Looks like Mark Forsyth might be seeing a spike in readers very soon.