In the Preface, the Author claims that this book intends to teach English from a practical point of view, thus adopting a methodology differing from the one characterising other works published at the time. In this sense, the book foregrounds vocabulary and pronunciation using the IPA, while the presentation of grammar is limited to its essential elements (“limitata ai suoi elementi essenziali”).
The fifth edition of the book, published in 1953 and available at the Biblioteca Estense Universitaria in Modena, begins with an overview of the alphabet and of the sounds of English, with pronunciation exercises. This is followed by 10 chapters which include the following components:
1. presentation of vocabulary in the sections titled “Words”
2. presentation of grammar structures
3. short dialogues, reading passages, poems where the vocabulary and grammar structures are used
4. exercises on linguistic structures, including translation and dictation.
The vocabulary areas considered across the book range from aspects of everyday life (e.g. rooms in a house, jobs, clothing, body parts) to terms in more specialised contexts (e.g. education, agriculture, governmental institutions), which are presented in the final chapters of the book.
