Welcome

Bough, rough, through and cough

few months ago, I decided the time had come for me to learn another language. Like many others, I did French at schoolor the masculine isn’t easy! But our number fact in this week’s The Buzz (Page 13) that the word ‘set’ has over 400 meanings, makes me think French must be easy in comparison to English! If I’m feeling in need of a lift, I love watching clips from comedians and old comedy shows on YouTube. One of my favourites dates back a long time – way before streaming services and even colour TV. And it’s still a cracker! It’s a scene from the iconic US comedy , where Lucille Ball’s Cuban-born husband Desi is proving to his wife that he can read their children a bedtime story. The clip is just over two minutes long and it’s hilarious. It had me laughing out loud all over again on the train this morning (and made a few people smile as I tried to stifle my giggles). But it’s also a great reminder of how devilishly hard English must be to non-native speakers. I dare you not to laugh out loud as you watch Desi stumble over bough, rough, through and cough. They all end in but are of course all pronounced completely differently. I reckon French is going to be a cinch!