My mother-in-law sent us a Linguaphone CD in the post the other day. Apparently it came free with a copy of the Daily Mail.

Learn French in a week. It promises. No reading, no writing, no effort!

Clearly both of these statements are untrue.

Why? To learn French in a week – you need to listen to nine CDs – but in order to get the other eight you’re required to buy the Daily Mail / Mail on Sunday for at least a month. While No effort’- implies that forcing yourself to buy the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday for weeks on end isn’t in the least bit taxing.

Who are they kidding? I would have to have had lost the will to live before buying the same paper as my mother-in-law!