Why French?

I had a fascination with the French language from a young age. I don't know why, although I offer up a few thoughts in my book.

At school, I managed an O-Level after only one year of study, French having been offered as a diversion from A-Level studies in maths and physics.

Then, throughout life, I dabbled in the language with a bit of home study and a couple of beginners' courses.

I was fortunate to be able to take retirement at 60 and it was then I set myself a challenge to lean to speak French - properly.

With the number of people who seem to master English as a second language, I mistakenly believed that with enough application I could similarly master French.

But French isn't English and with the nuances of pronunciation, the grammar and the fact that so many words contain muted letters, it was more of a challenge than I expected.

But I persevered. The early breakthrough was when I decided to find linguistic partners, something that the internet and applications such as Skype facilitate.

I wrote my book in the hope that it would inspire others to take up the challenge and offer some guidance from what I experienced.