This "Practical Introduction to the History of English" has been designed to meet the demands of the new philosophy of the European Higher Education Area in undergraduate programmes where English as a foreign language is studied. Conceived as an introduction to the fascinating subject of "Linguistic History of English", this book aims to introduce the development of English in a concrete way. The handbook provides the necessary theoretical background explaining the basic changes in the history of the English language and includes activities and quizzes at the end of each section where students can put into practice what they have read, learned or reflected upon. Students are therefore offered the opportunity to practise what they have read and learnt through their own explorations.